Protein Tangles Linked With Dementia Seen in Subjects After Single Head Injury

A study published in Science Translational Medicine determined people who have suffered a single head injury exhibit protein "tangles" associated with dementia in their brains, reports Medical Xpress . Twenty-one subjects who had suffered a moderate to severe head injury at least 18 years earlier, along with 11 healthy individuals who had not had a head injury, were analyzed via positron emission tomography, in conjunction with a material that binds to tau protein. Certain subjects had clumps of tau tangles in their brain. Tau tangles are found in Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia, and are linked to progressive nerve damage. This is the first study to spot tau tangles in the brains of living people. Subjects with higher levels of tau tangles did not necessarily have lessened brain function, compared to individuals with fewer tangles. However, the researchers note tangles can form years before symptoms manifest themselves. The team suggests these findings could help accelerate the development of treatments that break down tau tangles, by allowing medics to monitor the amount of tau.