Frontiers in neurology
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Frontiers in neurology · Jan 2013
Stroke prevention and cognitive reserve: emerging approaches to modifying risk and delaying onset of dementia.
Demographic changes and improvements in health care are projected to result in dramatic increases in the prevalence of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is widely considered to be the primary cause of dementia - a disease for which there is currently no cure nor effective treatment, and for which it is thought that little can be done to mitigate risk. ⋯ We also describe how active stimulation of the brain throughout the life course builds cognitive reserve that can offset or compensate for cognitive decline in later life. Finally, we discuss the implications of these emerging approaches for dementia prevention and advocate for the urgent implementation of more extensive public health strategies to improve vascular health.
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Frontiers in neurology · Jan 2013
Evidence That the Blood Biomarker SNTF Predicts Brain Imaging Changes and Persistent Cognitive Dysfunction in Mild TBI Patients.
Although mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, is not typically associated with abnormalities on computed tomography (CT), it nevertheless causes persistent cognitive dysfunction for many patients. Consequently, new prognostic methods for mTBI are needed to identify at risk cases, especially at an early and potentially treatable stage. Here, we quantified plasma levels of the neurodegeneration biomarker calpain-cleaved αII-spectrin N-terminal fragment (SNTF) from 38 participants with CT-negative mTBI, orthopedic injury (OI), and normal uninjured controls (UCs) (age range 12-30 years), and compared them with findings from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and long-term cognitive assessment. ⋯ The elevation in plasma SNTF in the subset of OI cases, accompanied by corresponding white matter and cognitive abnormalities, raises the possibility of identifying undiagnosed cases of mTBI. These data suggest that the blood level of SNTF on the day of a CT-negative mTBI may identify a subset of patients at risk of white matter damage and persistent disability. SNTF could have prognostic and diagnostic utilities in the assessment and treatment of mTBI.