New studies are showing the importance of protecting yourself against suffering a brain injury. Researchers are seeing a link between people who suffered a traumatic brain injury at some point in their life and the development of forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease.

One study examined over 280,000 veterans. Research suggests that those who had suffered a traumatic brain injury at some point were twice as likely to develop dementia-like symptoms only seven years later.

Another study from the University of Pennsylvania took a look at protein deposits in people's brains. The study reportedly examined the brains of 39 people who apparently had a severe traumatic brain injury sometime during their life, but later died of something else, sometimes decades later.

What they found was somewhat startling. About half of the brains were found to have tangles, or deposits, which are linked to Alzheimer's. People who do not suffer brain injuries often have tangles as well, although this study found that theirs were not as widely distributed in the brain.

Scientists also found plaques on the brains - those who suffered a brain injury and those who didn't. However, those who had sustained a brain injury had thicker plaques, kind of like steel wool, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer - another link to Alzheimer's.

Now that the link between injuries and dementia is clear, scientists are concluding a brain injury is not a one-instance injury - it can be a progressive process. It can affect people years down the road, even decades later. All the more reason to drive safely, wear a helmet if the occasion warrants it, and keep your wits about you.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, "Penn study backs brain injury and dementia link," Tom Avril, 25 July 2011