The results of a study evaluating more than 300,000 U.S. military veterans showed even a mild a concussion resulting in a loss of consciousness increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), commonly referred to as concussions, led to a 56% increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The study also showed that when the brain trauma was more severe, the risk of developing Parkinson’s was even higher; for those participants that suffered from a moderate or severe brain injury the increased risk was 83%.
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common type of neurogenerative disease, second only to Alzheimer’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a progressive loss of muscle control leading to bradykinesia (slow movement), rigidity, resting tremor and postural instability. As symptoms worsen, it may be difficult to walk, talk, and perform simple tasks. Non-motor symptoms can include; anxiety, depression, psychosis, and dementia.
Transplantation of stem cells at sites of neuronal degeneration is a very promising approach for the treatment of different neurological diseases such as Parkinson`s Disease and stem cell treatment at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute could help improve the symptoms of Parkinson´s disease.
A concussion is a mild form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head. A concussion can also be caused by violent movement or jarring of the head or neck. According to the Brain Injury Research Institute there are approximately 1.6-3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions each year in the United States and about 10% of those cases will result in a loss of consciousness.
This is not the first study to show a link between concussions and Parkinson’s disease but the it is the first study that looked at every single participant, providing the highest level of evidence to date and the first study to show a conclusive link between Parkinson’s and mild brain injury.
The study, published this month in Neurology, followed 325,870 veterans ranging from 31 to 65 years of age between 2002 and 2014. When the study started none of the participants had Parkinson’s disease or any form of dementia. Approximately half of the participants had suffered a mild, moderate or severe TBI prior to the start of the study while the other half of participants had not.
The Stem Cells Transplant Institute uses adipose derived, autologous, mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to repair and regenerate neurons in the brain, reduce levels of free radicals, improve synaptic connection from damaged neurons and regulate inflammation. If you or a loved has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, contact the experts at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute to learn more about stem cell therapy.
The daily non-stop flights from Newark airport to San Jose, Costa Rica make it easy for patients from New York and New Jersey including those from, Manhattan, Hoboken, Morristown, Parsippany and Brooklyn to access high quality care at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute.
Reference:
Raquel C. Gardner, Amy L. Byers, Deborah E. Barnes, Yixia Li, John Boscardin, Kristine Yaffe. Mild TBI and risk of Parkinson disease. Neurology Apr. 2018, 10.1212/WNL.0000000000005522; DOI:10.1212/WNL.0000000000005522
