A Missing Link Between Concussion and Alzheimer's

nautil.us

61 points·dnetesn··7 comments

A lot of women live longer than men. So, a lot of older people with altzheimers are women. Before modern times, women did not play contact sport and had lower concussion risk, unless it's undiagnosed. (The cohort in question would all have been born before 1950)

I'm not saying there's no risk but I am saying it will be multifaceted and multi factor. Avoid concussion no matter what.

> Avoid concussion no matter what.

I'd revise that to "take reasonable precautions." I speak from experience: I gave myself a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) while mocking the relevant precaution in college.

> it will be multifaceted and multi factor.

Same goes for brain injury recovery. For example, there's some evidence intermittent fasting helps with TBI recovery [1] (figure 1 is an observed behavior, not a marker).

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30734244/

There is interesting research in the use of hyperbaric chambers for improving concussion recovery and permanently.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35370898/

Building a practice of learning how to prioritize one’s brain health by starting and maintaining small actions until they becomes habit is critical.

With concussion, not having a comprehensive response strategy before you need it (a person can’t remember or figure out what to do as easily after it occurs) is the single most important small action for your health that can take months of recovery and stretch it into years.

The experts don’t all read the studies, nor are they up to date, nor do they put it together for you, it’s the opposite, you have to.

Thanks, I thought I was getting forgetful!

https://archive.ph/stk9W

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