Posttraumatic premature Alzheimer's disease. Neuropathologic findings and pathogenetic considerations
R. Rudelli, J. O. Strom, P. T. Welch and M. W. Ambler
Dementia following head trauma is generally attributed to contusional
injury or its complications. Dementia pugilistica and rare cases of classic
Alzheimer's disease (AD) following head injury suggest that trauma may also
play a provocative role in neurofibrillary change. The ages and clinical
descriptions, however, allow other interpretations. A 38-year-old man died
16 years after substantial recovery from a single episode of severe head
trauma. Pathologic study indicated that the clinical deterioration was due
to classic AD. Ultrastructural evaluation demonstrated both paired helical
and straight filaments in cortical neurons.
