Contributions of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury to Neurodegeneration Due to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Alzheimers Disease
VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
This is a research study that aims to examine whether Veterans with mild Traumatic Brain Injuries are at risk for dementia by studying their memory, brain wave activity, brain structure and proteins that can be elevated after brain injury and in dementia.
Description
The specific aim of this project is to examine whether Veterans with mild Traumatic Brain Injuries are at risk for dementia by studying their memory, brain wave activity, brain structure and proteins that can be elevated after brain injury and in dementia. This study will recruit patients with a history of mild-moderate traumatic brain injury, mild cognitive impairment, as well as healthy controls in order to better understand how single or repetitive mild Traumatic brain injuries may contribute to the development of dementia. It will be prospective in nature. Participants will be asked to co…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 30–90 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: All Subjects: * Intact color vision * Visual acuity of 20/30 (or better) * Patients must pass effort measures on the TOMM * Patients must have intact decision-making capacity * Patients must have no contraindications to lumbar puncture including: * Being on a blood thinner * Aspirin or Plavix * Have no space occupying lesion on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) * An International Normalized Ratio (INR) value \< 1.4 and platelet count \>50,000 * No epidural infection or overlying cellulitis over the lumbar spine * PTSD will be accounted for as a potential confounder and its…
Interventions
- DeviceNo Intervention is used for this study but all subjects will be asked to complete EEG testing and an MRI scan.
No intervention will be used.
- ProcedureNo intervention is used for this study but all subjects will be asked to complete a venous blood draw procedure and a lumbar puncture procedure.
No intervention will be used.
Location
- VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MABoston, Massachusetts