Risacher, Shannon L.West, John D.Deardorff, RachaelGao, SujuanFarlow, Martin R.Brosch, Jared R.Apostolova, Liana G.McAllister, Thomas W.Wu, Yu-ChienJagust, William J.Landau, Susan M.Weiner, Michael W.Saykin, Andrew J.2023-03-022023-03-022021-08-24Risacher SL, West JD, Deardorff R, et al. Head injury is associated with tau deposition on PET in MCI and AD patients. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2021;13(1):e12230. Published 2021 Aug 24. doi:10.1002/dad2.12230https://hdl.handle.net/1805/31563Introduction: Head injuries (HI) are a risk factor for dementia, but the underlying etiology is not fully known. Understanding whether tau might mediate this relationship is important. Methods: Cognition and tau deposition were compared between 752 individuals with (impaired, n = 302) or without cognitive impairment (CN, n = 450) with amyloid and [18F]flortaucipir positron emission tomography, HI history information, and cognitive testing from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and the Indiana Memory and Aging Study. Results: Sixty-three (38 CN, 25 impaired) reported a history of HI. Higher neuropsychiatric scores and poorer memory were observed in those with a history of HI. Tau was higher in individuals with a history of HI, especially those who experienced a loss of consciousness (LOC). Results were driven by impaired individuals, especially amyloid beta-positive individuals with history of HI with LOC. Discussion: These findings suggest biological changes, such as greater tau, are associated with HI in individuals with cognitive impairment. Small effect sizes were observed; thus, further studies should replicate and extend these results.en-USAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 InternationalAlzheimer's diseaseHead injuryMild cognitive impairmentTauTraumatic brain injuryArticle