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Scientists in Chicago have been surprised by research into the propensity of people who have recovered from a brain injury to develop Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease, one of the most common forms of dementia, has been linked to a protein called amyloid beta, and the Italian and American researchers on this project expected to see levels of this protein rise following an injury to the brain, then gradually fall away again.
What they actually found was that amyloid beta levels rose for the patients who were recovering from their personal injury; those who were losing cognitive function did have the expected fall-off in protein levels.
The lead researcher suggested that this may show that the protein is related to how well the brain's cells are communicating with each other. Previous studies in mice have suggested a similar conclusion.
He added that there was much more research to do on the connection between brain injury and Alzheimer's, saying, "This study is just the beginning."
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