A recent study indicates that a newly devised antibody therapy reverses some of the pathological changes that occur after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in animal models. The results of the study were published in Nature.
In the United States, approximately 2.5 million people suffer TBI each year. In Connecticut alone, there are approximately 22,000 deaths, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations that result from TBI each year. Nearly 20% of the 2.3 million troops deployed by the military have sustained TBI. Traumatic brain injury is also an established environmental risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Note that there are currently 5.3 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease (73,000 in Connecticut). However, no treatment is currently available to prevent Alzheimer’s disease or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE; a progressive degenerative disease of the brain caused by TBI).
Researchers have shown that when exposed to TBI, neurons in the brain begin to produce phosphorylated tau protein (cis P-tau). This causes disruption to the cells’ internal scaffolding (microtubules), spreads to other neurons, and leads to massive cell death. This recent study shows that treating mice with a specially created antibody against cis P-tau prevents these changes.
Traumatic brain injury, such as that caused by contact sports or military-related incidents, is a major cause of death and disability. It is linked with long-term neuro-degenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Abnormal tau proteins are also a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease; cis P-tau appears early in Alzheimer’s disease neurons. The amount of cis P-tau in cerebrospinal fluid correlates with memory loss in mild cognitive impairment and in Alzheimer’s disease.
In this study, mice responded quickly to the antibody therapy (positive changes to the brain were seen within days). The data provide a direct link from TBI to CTE and Alzheimer’s disease. More research is needed, but the results indicate that the antibody therapy may be useful for early diagnosis, prevention, and therapy for these devastating diseases.
