Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 5, 2014
Traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's disease: a review
Corinna Van Den Heuvel1, Emma Thornton, Robert Vink
1Discipline of Pathology, University of Adelaide, Centre for Neurological Diseases, The Hanson Institute, Adelaide, Australia. corinna.vandenheuvel@adelaide.edu.au
Abstract:
In an effort to identify the factors that are involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), epidemiological studies have featured prominently in contemporary research. Of those epidemiological factors, accumulating evidence implicates traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a possible predisposing factor in AD development. Exactly how TBI triggers the neurodegenerative cascade of events in AD remains controversial. There has been extensive research directed towards understanding the potential relationship between TBI and AD and the putative influence that apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype has on this relationship. The aim of the current paper is to provide a critical summary of the experimental and human studies regarding the association between TBI, AD and APOE genotype. It will be shown that despite significant discrepancies in the literature, there still appears to be an increasing trend to support the hypothesis that TBI is a potential risk factor for AD. Furthermore, although it is known that APOE genotype plays an important role in AD, its link to a deleterious outcome following TBI remains inconclusive and ambiguous.
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Traumatic Brain Injury l: Introduction
Dementia l: Introduction
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
