Cited by 673Traumatic Brain Injury ResearchTraumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular DisturbancesAutomotive and Human Injury Biomechanics

Epidemiology of mild traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disease

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Gardner, Raquel C., Yaffe, Kristine·2015·Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Abstract

Every year an estimated 42 million people worldwide suffer a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) or concussion. More severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a well-established risk factor for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recently, large epidemiological studies have additionally identified MTBI as a risk factor for dementia. The role of MTBI in risk of PD or ALS is less well established. Repetitive MTBI and repetitive sub-concussive head trauma have been linked to increased risk for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a unique neurodegenerative tauopathy first described in boxers but more recently described in a variety of contact sport athletes, military veterans, and civilians exposed to repetitive MTBI. Studies of repetitive MTBI and CTE have been limited by referral bias, lack of consensus clinical criteria for CTE, challenges of quantifying MTBI exposure, and potential for confounding. The prevalence of CTE is unknown and the amount of MTBI or sub-concussive trauma exposure necessary to produce CTE is unclear. This review will summarize the current literature regarding the epidemiology of MTBI, post-TBI dementia and Parkinson's disease, and CTE while highlighting methodological challenges and critical future directions of research in this field. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI:Traumatic Brain Injury.

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  • Traumatic brain injury may be a significant environmental risk factor for several progressive neurodegenerative disorders.

    “Traumatic brain injury may be a significant environmental risk factor for several progressive neurodegenerative disorders [496].”

    From Revisiting the Pathogenesis of X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (2025) · cites this paper as [496]

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  1. [43]Kuopio AM Marttila RJ Helenius H Rinne UK Environmental risk factors in Parkinson's disease Mov Disord 1999 11 14 6 928 39 10584666
  2. [50]Martland HS Punch drunk Journal of the American Medical Association 1928 91 15 1103 7

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Authors
Gardner, R. C., & Yaffe, K.
Affiliations
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • San Francisco VA Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Gardner, Raquel C.
Venue
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-05
Volume
66
Issue
Pt B
Pages
75-80
ISSN
1044-7431 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2078379881
Cited by
673
References
74
Citations by year
2026: 46 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 72 · 2022: 82 · 2021: 87 · 2020: 81 · 2019: 50 · 2018: 46 · 2017: 45 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 10
FWCI
5.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Academic Affiliations Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment
  • Medical Research Service of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center
  • Department of Veterans Affairs Sierra-Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH) (K24 AG031155)
  • Department of Defense (W81XWH-12-1-0581)
  • Department of Veterans Affairs
  • California Department of Public Health
  • Bright Focus Foundation
  • Alzheimer’s Association
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disturbances
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Automotive and Human Injury Biomechanics
Keywords
mild traumatic brain injury, concussion, neurodegenerative diseases, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, repetitive head impacts, tauopathy, risk factors, epidemiology, military veterans, contact athletes
MeSH terms
Animals, Autopsy, Brain Injuries, Humans, Risk, Risk Factors, Prevalence, Neurodegenerative Diseases

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