BU Study Finds Connection Between Concussion And Alzheimer's Disease
BOSTON (CBS) – New research from the Boston University School of Medicine suggests there may be more of a link between concussions and Alzheimer's disease than previously thought.
Jasmeet Hayes, the co-author of the new study, spoke to WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe about the findings.
Hayes and her team studied 160 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans in their 30s, some who had suffered concussions.
Researchers found that mild head trauma may accelerate the progression of Alzheimer's in people who have a genetic predisposition to the disease.
"Really I feel that the story is trying to intervene at an earlier point in someone's life so if we know they're at high risk for Alzeheimer's later in their life, can we intervene when they're in their 30s and 40s in order to prevent that later degeneration?" said Hayes.
Hayes said the study is promising because of the age of the participants who were studied.
"Perhaps we can try and see who might be at risk for later neurodegenerative disease much earlier in their lifespan," said Hayes. "A lot of the drug studies for Alzheimer's disease, a lot of them tend to fail because they look at the brain when it's already so far gone."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports