- With Mayo Clinic clinical neuropsychologist
Glenn Smith, Ph.D.
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Glenn Smith, Ph.D.
Glenn Smith, Ph.D.
Dr. Glenn Smith is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist who specializes in Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Smith, a Lincoln, Neb., native, has been with Mayo Clinic since 1990 and works with neurologists, psychiatrists, internists, social workers and nurses involved in diagnosing and providing care for people with dementia and their families.
"For Alzheimer's disease, there is currently no cure," he says. "The best 'medicine' for patient and family remains education and support. Hopefully, Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's disease Web resources contribute to compassionate care and understanding for Alzheimer's families."
Dr. Smith is a professor of psychology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, a consultant in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, and principal investigator of the Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Education Core. He is past president of the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology.
Risk factors (2)
- Oophorectomy (ovary removal): A risk factor for dementia?
- Alzheimer's: Can a head injury increase my risk?
Symptoms (1)
- Sundowning: Late-day confusion
Tests and diagnosis (2)
- Rapid-onset Alzheimer's: Could it be something else?
- Alzheimer's test: Detection at the earliest stages
Complications (1)
- Phantosmia: What causes olfactory hallucinations?
Treatments and drugs (4)
- Vitamin B-12: Can it improve memory in Alzheimer's?
- Folic acid supplements: Can they slow cognitive decline?
- Alzheimer's nose spray: New Alzheimer's treatment?
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Alternative medicine (4)
- Vitamin B-12: Can it improve memory in Alzheimer's?
- Phosphatidylserine supplements: Can they improve memory?
- Ginkgo biloba: Can it prevent memory loss?
- see all in Alternative medicine
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Question
Alzheimer's: Can a head injury increase my risk?
Can a head injury cause or hasten Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia?
Answer
from Glenn Smith, Ph.D.
It depends on your age at the time of your head injury, the severity of the head injury and possibly your genetic makeup.
Brain damage from a head injury itself is a potential cause of dementia. Dementia is present when there's a decline in two or more thinking skills — such as memory and reasoning — resulting in a person being unable to perform his or her normal, daily activities. However, dementia caused by a head injury typically is a stable condition, meaning it doesn't worsen over time.
In terms of progressive dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, a severe head injury appears to increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease; the higher the frequency and severity of the injuries, the greater the risk. A head injury may also hasten the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms in people who already have risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. For example, people who have head injury and carry one form of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
So, although a severe head injury may slightly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, it's important to note that many people who sustain a severe head injury never develop Alzheimer's disease.
Next questionSundowning: Late-day confusion
- Bird TD, et al. Dementia. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2904052. Accessed July 9, 2009.
- Traumatic brain injury: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/detail_tbi.htm. Accessed July 9, 2009.
- Van Den Heuvel1 C, et al. Traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's disease: A review. Progress in Brain Research. 2007;161:303.
- Khalsa DS. Alzheimer's disease. In: Rakel D. Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/148170549-4/0/1494/60.html?tocnode=54111880&fromURL=60.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2954-0..X5001-7--section2_393. Accessed July 7, 2009.
