A brain injury can double your risk of developing dementia. Learn about what causes dementia, different types of dementia, and how to lower your risk.

Stroke, Brain Injury, and Dementia: is there a link?

Experiencing a stroke or a brain injury is a huge, life-altering event. But even
after the rehab, the outpatient therapy, and the lifestyle modifications, there
can be another fear- will having a stroke or brain injury lead to dementia in
the future?

In this article
 * What is the link between stroke or brain injury and dementia?
 * Why might a stroke or brain injury lead to dementia?
 * Who is at risk of developing dementia post-stroke?
 * What can be done to reduce the risk of developing dementia?
 * Resources for people with dementia

 What is the link between stroke/brain injury and dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term for a collection of cognitive and communicative
deficits. Memory loss, executive functioning deficits, communication impairments
and challenging behavior are the hallmarks of a dementia diagnosis. This can be
extremely difficult for the person and their family, who have already endured a
stroke or brain injury.

The link between stroke/brain injury and dementia is clear. Dementia affects 50
million people worldwide, and studies show that people who sustain an injury to
the brain are twice as likely to develop dementia post-injury.

Both stroke and dementia can cause brain atrophy, disrupting brain cell
connections and communication.Why might a stroke or brain injury lead to
dementia?
Why certain injury to the brain can cause dementia in older age is not always
clear, though there are many working theories.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, estimated to
affect 5.5 million people in America today. AD accounts for between 60-80% of
all cases of dementia, and is caused by an abnormal buildup of proteins in the
brain, which interrupt and disrupt the messages being sent within the brain
itself.

Some research shows that injury to the blood-brain-barrier, a membrane that
selectively filters nutrients from the bloodstream into the brain, has a strong
link to subsequent development of Alzheimer’s. The blood brain barrier can be
damaged by hypoxia- oxygen deprivation that may be caused by a blockage- or by a
traumatic brain injury.

Vascular dementia (VD), the second most commonly experienced dementia, is a
step-wise decline in function as a result of several strokes. Strokes often
cause temporary or long-lasting damage to the tissues in the brain, and the
amount of recovery to these tissues may vary. When multiple strokes or brain
injuries occur, the brain is not be able to heal fully, in time leading to VD.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), is a brain condition associated with
multiple blows to the head and sometimes experienced by football players,
boxers, or those with repeated falls. CTE has been linked with early onset of
dementia, likely owing to some of the reasons above- non-healing injuries, and
disruption to the BBB leading to accumulations of protein tangles in the brain.

From left to right: a healthy neuron (brain cell), a neuron with amyloid plaque
buildup as seen in Alzheimer's disease, and a dead neuron being digested by
microglia cells.Who is at risk of developing dementia post-stroke?
The incidence of those who develop dementia after a stroke or brain injury is
estimated to be about two-fold of those in the general population. The risk
factors that may make someone more susceptible to dementia include:

 * a Hemorrhagic versus Ischemic stroke (a bleed versus a blockage). This may be
   linked to the diffuse nature of a bleed, and the possible disruption of the
   blood-brain-barrier.
 * a stroke occurring at a younger age; regardless of type of stroke, people who
   sustain a stroke at a younger age are at an increased risk of developing
   dementia over the course of their lifespan.

Persons are also at the highest risk of dementia one year post-injury. After the
one year mark, the increased risk persists across all types of stroke/brain
injury, but at lower levels than before.

What can be done to reduce the risk of developing dementia?
Decreasing the risk of developing dementia when a stroke or brain injury has
occurred is all about working on brain health and recovery. Keeping the brain
healthy and allowing the damaged tissues to repair to their fullest extent may
delay or even arrest later development of dementia.

The gold standard of dementia risk reduction includes physical activity, healthy
living, cognitive engagement, and taking control of the reasons that a stroke or
brain injury may have occurred in the first place.

Physical rehabilitation post-stroke/brain injury is essential to make sure that
physical and medical issues are addressed. It is so important to be able to
operate at the highest level possible, to live as healthfully as possible, even
after a stroke/brain injury. Regular cardiovascular exercise
[https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/daily-living/exercise/early-middle-dementia] 
will increase oxygenation in the body, which is necessary to help heal and
improve brain health.

Eating more healthfully and avoiding overly fatty and processed foods will also
improve brain health. Some research shows supplementation with vitamins,
especially Vitamin K and Omega-3s, can help reduce risk of developing dementia.

Challenging your cognition
[https://www.cherrywoodpointe.com/brain-games-for-dementia-patients-keeping-a-sharp-mind/#:~:text=The%20options%20are%20nearly%20endless,specifically%20for%20people%20with%20dementia.]
, and maintaining engagement with cognitive tasks will also help to strengthen
your brain. The process of learning may increase neural connections in the
brain, essential for communication, memory, and other cognitive functions.

Meditation and mindfulness
[https://www.lcbseniorliving.com/blog/mindfulness-exercises-for-seniors/] has
been shown to increase grey matter in the brain, unequivocally improving
cognition and brain health.

Resources for those at risk
Family conflict [https://arcseminars.net/support-caregivers-dementia/] abounds
in the diagnosis of dementia- seek out support groups through the Alzheimer's
Association [https://www.alz.org/help-support/community/support-groups].

Looking for cognitive solutions for someone with a stroke and dementia? Check
out Neofect Cognition [https://www.neofect.com/us/cognition] and the Neofect
Smart Pegboard [https://www.neofect.com/us/smart-pegboard].