Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2023, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (4): 811-813.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.353487

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Functional phenotyping of microglia highlights the dark relationship between chronic traumatic brain injury and normal age-related pathology

Rodney M. Ritzel*, Junfang Wu*   

  1. Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA (Ritzel RM)
    Department of Anesthesiology and Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA (Wu J)
  • Online:2023-04-15 Published:2022-10-29
  • Contact: Rodney M. Ritzel, PhD, Rodney.M.Ritzel@uth.tmc.edu; Junfang Wu, MD, PhD, Junfang.wu@som.umaryland.edu.
  • Supported by:
    We would like to thank Miss Kavitha Brunner (University of Maryland of School of Medicine) for her assistance with the illustration and proofreading of the manuscript.

    This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grants K99 NS116032 to RMR and R01 AG077541, RF1 NS110637, 2RF1 NS094527, R01 NS110825, and R01 NS110635 to JW. 

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Abstract: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Age-related TBI differences demonstrate the third peak of prevalence and incidence of TBI within the elderly population. This is due to the elderly being at a higher risk of sustaining falls, which have been identified as the main cause (40–50%) of TBI. With advances in healthcare and technology, millions of TBI survivors live for decades after the initial injury; however, these individuals suffer from varying degrees of neurological impairment, including long-term cognitive deficits. Epidemiological studies show that the occurrence of TBI significantly increases the risk for the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or non-AD forms of dementia, with the latter appearing to be most prevalent. Although aging is considered a key risk factor for AD/AD-related dementias (ADRD), age-associated neuropathology and neurobehavioral abnormalities can be potentiated both during aging after TBI and in patients sustaining TBI at an older age. Thus, there is an emerging confluence of TBI and AD/ADRD in the older adult population, as well as an increased risk of ADRD in patients aging after TBI, both of which reflect significant unmet healthcare challenges.