Head injuries can alter hundreds of genes and lead to serious brain diseases

Research has shown that head injuries can cause damage to hundreds of genes in the brain that can cause an increase of a risk to obtain a neurological or psychiatric disorder. In the article it is said that for the first time researchers believed they found the master genes that control several hundreds of other genes that are linked to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, stroke, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, depression, schizophrenia and other disorders. From this finding, scientists can now learn how the master genes work in order to find new pharmaceuticals to treat these brain diseases. Damage to these master genes can cause a chain effect to cause damage to other hundreds of genes as well. The damage can change the gene in two ways; the first being proteins that are produced by these genes are irregular and the second being the number of expressed copies of a gene in a cell is changed. Both of these lead to a gene not working properly and causing the wrong form of protein to be produced, leading to diseases like Alzheimer's.

This new finding is huge for scientists! This is a step for them to find new ways to treat existing head injuries and diseases but also this is a step to find new ways to repair damaged cells in the brain.

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PSU Researchers Make Connection Between Genes and Post-concussion Recovery

In the modern era of sports a large focus has been placed on concussions and concussion related encephalopathy.  At the forefront of this focus is the NFL and their increasing protocols to protect players.  So why is it that some players are able to return to practice days after a concussion and others may take several weeks before cleared to play?

Researchers at PSU are attempting to answer that very question with ongoing research of the role genes play in recovering from concussions. Peter Arnett, professor of psychology and director of clinical training at Penn State, and a team of researchers are examining the effect of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene influencing post concussion symptoms. According to Arnett, their are three different alleles for the APOE gene, their research focused on the effect of the e4 allele and how it influences concussion symptoms. The researchers at PSU collected buccal swabs from 42 athletes with concussions, as diagnosed by their team physician, for DNA analysis. Arnett and his team compared concussed athletes with the e4 allele against other concussed athletes and found that the athletes with the e4 allele scored higher on a post concussion symptom scale (PCCS). The PCCS is a scale through the imPACT computer program. This program surveys concussion symptoms to determine their severity. Athletes with the e4 allele reported greater physical and cognitive impairment following a concussion. According to Arnett this is the first study to attempt to examine the relationship between the e4 allele and post concussion symptoms.

This research adds to the growing amount of information on concussions and the effects that they have on the brain. This is the first study of its kind that examines specific alleles and how those alleles can influence the symptoms of concussions. This information could be used beyond understanding concussions in sports and be applied to soldiers who experience traumatic brain injuries from blast injuries.