By Michelle Jaffee
A new UF-led study sheds light on the interplay between aging and brain changes following repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The preclinical study, part of a line of research aimed at improving understanding of age-specific symptoms and risk factors associated with brain injury, was published July 30 in the journal NeuroImage.
Repetitive mild TBIs can intensify the effects of aging, disrupting brain function and plasticity and causing cumulative damage that is often unnoticed. Older adults are particularly vulnerable, and symptoms may be mistaken for other conditions or differ from those in younger individuals, making early detection challenging.
To examine the variable of age on brain changes following multiple mild TBIs, a team led by McKnight Brain Institute researchers Marangelie Criado-Marrero, M.B.A., Ph.D.; Sakthivel Ravi, Ph.D., and Jose Abisambra, Ph.D., used techniques including resting-state functional MRI, graph theory analysis, diffusion tensor imaging, and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging in young and aged male and female mice.
The research revealed significant differences linked with age in the disruption of brain connectivity and changes in white matter structures, the investigators reported. Key brain regions such as the thalamus, motor cortex, and agranular insular cortex were affected differently depending on age and injury.
“We found that 53% of brain regions were significantly impacted by the interaction of age and injury, even when whole brain network structures appeared unchanged,” said Criado-Marrero, a research assistant professor in UF’s Department of Neuroscience. “The substantial impact detected within a week of injury highlights how age crucially determines the brain’s response.”
“These findings are crucial for understanding the mechanisms underlying traumatic brain injury and their potential progression to neurodegenerative diseases, as they highlight the importance of considering age-related factors in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of TBIs,” she said.
Among next steps in this line of research, investigators will work to develop age-specific therapeutic interventions aimed at improving recovery outcomes.
“This work is critical because it sets a strong foundation to develop new, non-invasive imaging biomarkers to evaluate severity of injury and better predict outcomes,” said Abisambra, an associate professor of neuroscience and the MBI’s associate director for research programs. “This information is urgently needed to better equip clinicians for therapies and create more effective strategies for patient recovery.”