Long-term effects of past head injuries on brain health
The Late Effects of TBI (LETBI) Study: Injury Patterns and Biological Markers of Post-Traumatic Neurodegeneration
This project follows people with past traumatic brain injuries to find blood and brain-scan signs that signal higher risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11301377 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join a group of over 500 people living with chronic traumatic brain injury who have already had memory and behavior tests, blood draws, and brain scans, and many have agreed to brain donation. Researchers will see how symptoms change over time and link those changes to patterns of past head injuries (number, severity, repetitive impacts). They will look for noninvasive blood markers and imaging signs of neurovascular, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative changes that predict post-traumatic decline. When available, brain autopsy findings will be used to confirm the imaging and blood markers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults living with a history of traumatic brain injury who can attend follow-up visits, provide medical history, give blood samples, and undergo brain imaging.
Not a fit: People with no history of head injury or individuals unable/unwilling to provide imaging or blood samples are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help detect early signs of dementia after head injury so people can get monitoring and care sooner.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies link TBI to higher dementia risk and have found some promising blood and imaging markers, but this large, long-term cohort with autopsy validation is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dams-O'connor, Kristen — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Dams-O'connor, Kristen
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.