Key protein found to have role in long-term complications from traumatic brain injury

NIH | AUGUST 5, 2015

A protein previously linked to acute symptoms following a traumatic brain injury (TBI), may also be responsible for long-term complications that can result from TBI, according to a new research.

Using an ultra-sensitive technology, researchers were able to measure levels of the protein, tau, in the blood months and years after individuals (in this case, military personnel) had experienced TBI. They found that these elevated levels of tau — a protein known to have a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease — are associated with chronic neurological symptoms, including post-concussive disorder (PCD), during which an individual has symptoms such as headache and dizziness in the weeks and months after injury.

These chronic neurological symptoms have been linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — progressive brain degeneration that leads to dementia following repetitive TBIs — independent of other factors such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The researchers also linked the physical PCD symptoms that can persist after TBI to elevated levels of tau, independent of other psychological symptoms such as PTSD and depression. These findings suggest that long after the primary brain injury, tau accumulations alone may contribute to chronic neurological symptoms.

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