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Blocking seizures after a head injury could slow or prevent the onset of dementia, according to new research by University of Alberta biologists. Traumatic brain injury is a major risk factor for dementia, but the reason this is the case has remained mysterious, said Ted Allison, co-author and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Faculty of Science. Through this research, we have discovered one important way they are linked namely, post-injury seizures. There is currently no treatment for the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury, which includes developing dementia, added lead author Hadeel Alyenbaawi, who recently completed her PhD dissertation on this topic in the Department of Medical Genetics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
Preventing seizures after head injury could slow or prevent the onset of dementia
Blocking seizures after a head injury could slow or prevent the onset of dementia, according to new research by University of Alberta biologists.
Traumatic brain injury is a major risk factor for dementia, but the reason this is the case has remained mysterious. Through this research, we have discovered one important way they are linked namely, post-injury seizures.
Ted Allison, Co-Author and Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta There is currently no treatment for the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury, which includes developing dementia, added lead author Hadeel Alyenbaawi, who recently completed her PhD dissertation on this topic in the Department of Medical Genetics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
EDMONTON People who have suffered a traumatic brain injury are at a higher risk of developing dementia, but new research from the University of Alberta shows a way to delay the disease. A team of U of A biologists say that preventing seizures is the key and can improve people s quality of life in the short and long term. “Dementia is devastating for patients and families, and it is growing in prevalence in our aging demographics,” professor and co-author Ted Allison said in a written release. “These findings open the exciting possibility of refining the anti-epileptic treatments to be a prevention not only of seizures, but also dementia.”