Battling a war in their own minds

They selflessly leave the comfort of their homes to protect our country, and while some soldiers remain lost in ‘no man’s land’, others manage to find their way home. But when they return, what goes on in the minds of our warriors?

According to two new studies, brain injuries sustained on the battlefield are likely to boost the risk of dementia later in life.

The study, led by Kristine Yaffe, head of the Memory Disorders Program at the San Francisco Veterans Association medical centre, revealed older war veterans who experience traumatic brain injury face a doubled risk of developing dementia.

Reviewing the medical records of 281,540 US veterans aged 55 years and older, found the risk of dementia was 15.3% in those who had traumatic brain injuries (TBI) as a result of their deployment compared to 6.8% for ex-soldiers who had not.

“TBI is very common. About 1.7 million people experience a TBI each year in the United States, primarily due to falls and car crashes,” Dr Yaffe says.

Such injuries are also known as the ‘signature wound’ of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, accounting for 22% of casualties overall and 59% of blast-related injuries.

The research suggests the death and damage of axons, long cell extensions that form connections among nerve cells in the brain, may be to blame for the higher risk of dementia.

The swelling of the traumatised axons accompanies the build-up of proteins called beta-amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Amyloid plaques, similar to those found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, are present in up to 30% of TBI patients who do not survive their injuries, regardless of age.

The study also indicates retired professional football players and even those older adults who did not play professionally may also be at risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

In this study, scientists led by Christopher Randolph of Loyola University Medical Centre in Chicago, compared the likelihood of decline in basic cognitive functions among retired football players and in older adults who had not played professional sports.

The repeated head-on clashes typical of American football may, despite protective gear, boost the chances of long-term brain damage.

A 2008 health survey of more than 500 ex-football players, aged about 61 years revealed that more than 35% of this group were possible dementia cases, which nearly triples the rate of Alzheimer’s in Americans over the age of 65 years.

Researchers followed up on this data to identify players with mild cognitive disorders, which is often a precursor to full-blown dementia or Alzheimer’s.

The study compared neurological and psychological test results from this group with other groups; neither of which had played professional sports; demographically similar adults who showed no cognitive decline, and adults diagnosed with a mild cognitive disorder.