A preliminary study on plasma markers across cognitive stages and links to a history of mild traumatic brain injury.

Abstract

Potential implications of a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) during aging are understudied. Seven plasma markers were measured in matched participants having normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) with and without a history of mTBI. Phosphorylated tau₁₈₁ showed a moderate effect size for being greater in mTBI + individuals having MCI and DAT, and effect sizes for lower amyloid-β 42/40 and higher neurofilament light were seen for mTBI + DAT individuals. This preliminary report shows a potential role of plasma-derived markers in detecting associations between mTBI history and the development of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.