Traumatic Brain Injury and Alzheimer's Disease: The Cerebrovascular Link.

Publication Type	Review
Authors	Ramos-Cejudo J, Wisniewski T, Marmar C, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, de Leon M, Fossati S
Journal	EBioMedicine
Volume	28
Pagination	21-30
Date Published	01/31/2018
ISSN	2352-3964
Keywords	Alzheimer Disease, Brain Injuries, Traumatic, Cerebrovascular Circulation
Abstract	Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are devastating neurological disorders, whose complex relationship is not completely understood. Cerebrovascular pathology, a key element in both conditions, could represent a mechanistic link between Aβ/tau deposition after TBI and the development of post concussive syndrome, dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In addition to debilitating acute effects, TBI-induced neurovascular injuries accelerate amyloid β (Aβ) production and perivascular accumulation, arterial stiffness, tau hyperphosphorylation and tau/Aβ-induced blood brain barrier damage, giving rise to a deleterious feed-forward loop. We postulate that TBI can initiate cerebrovascular pathology, which is causally involved in the development of multiple forms of neurodegeneration including AD-like dementias. In this review, we will explore how novel biomarkers, animal and human studies with a focus on cerebrovascular dysfunction are contributing to the understanding of the consequences of TBI on the development of AD-like pathology.
DOI	10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.01.021
PubMed ID	29396300
PubMed Central ID	PMC5835563