"Mild TBI May Elevate Parkinson’s Disease Risk" - Damian McNamara
Military veterans diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have a 56 percent increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD), a large, retrospective cohort study shows. Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD, associate professor of rehabilitation medicine and co-director of the brain injury research center of Mount Sinai at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, noted that TBI history may not have been fully captured because it "isn't always recorded in the health record and many veterans receive care outside of the VA. This would actually bias findings toward the null, and still they still found significantly increased risk for Parkinson's disease." She added, "This study suggests that mTBI is associated with 56 percent increased risk of PD, while more severe TBI is associated with greater risk for PD. These findings are consistent with what our group reported previously. We found an even greater risk for Parkinson's disease associated with TBI with loss of consciousness longer than one hour.”
- Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD, Associate Professor, Rehabilitation Medicine, Co-Director, Brain Injury Research Center of Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
