Scientists have studied the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Researchers from the University of South Florida and their colleagues from the Medical Center of War Veterans. James A. Haley studied the long-term consequences of craniocerebral trauma and found that TBI leads to a progressive deterioration in brain activity, which is characterized by inflammation and suppression of cell regeneration. Nevertheless, therapeutic intervention can still help prevent cell death.
The results of the research are published in the last issue of the journal PLoS ONE.
"According to the latest data, about 1.7 million people in the United States suffer from traumatic brain injury," says Professor Sezar Borlongan. "In addition, TBI is responsible for 52,000 deaths, representing 30% of all deaths from injuries."
Even if CCT does not immediately lead to irreversible consequences, such as death or disability, later its consequences can have a negative impact on human health for a long time, especially neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and post-traumatic dementia.
As the US military took part in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of craniocerebral injuries increased dramatically.
"Injuries to the hippocampus, cortical and thalamic regions contribute to long-term cognitive damage," says study co-author Dr. Paul Sandberg, Studies show that functional and cognitive impairments are the result of head injuries. "
CCT includes both acute and chronic stages, which was clearly demonstrated by an experiment conducted by scientists in mice. Scientists say that the experiment will help to better understand and identify therapeutic "targets" for treatment after acute stage.
"Our study examined the long-term pathological consequences of TBI in various areas of the brain, such as the dorsal striatum, thalamus, corpus callosum, hippocampus and cerebral peduncles," the researchers explain. "We found that extensive neuroinflammation after CCT causes a second wave of cell death, which reduces cell proliferation and hinders the regenerative capacity of the brain."
After examining the rat brain eight weeks after the injury, the researchers found "a significant increase in the regulation of activated microglia cells, not only in the area of direct trauma, but also in neighboring as well as remote areas."
The location of the inflammation correlates with the loss of cells and the violation of cell proliferation, the researchers say. Microglia cells act as the first and basic form of immune defense in the central nervous system and make up 20 percent of the total population of glial cells in the brain. They spread throughout the brain and spinal cord.
"Our research has shown that cell proliferation has significantly suffered from a cascade of neuroinflammatory", - the authors comment.
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