Tau PET in traumatic brain injury
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing tau levels after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) using [18F]T807 Positron Emission Tomography (PET).
IRAS ID
163812
Contact name
David J. Sharp
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common cause of death and disability in young adults. It has a major social and economic impact, with around £5 billion in costs a year in the UK. Cognitive impairment, including significant problems in memory and attention, is common following TBI, and it is a major cause of disability.
TBI can predispose individuals to dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Approximately 25% of patients continue to deteriorate cognitively over time, and develop dementia, while about 25% improve. We know little about why outcome following TBI is so variable.
AD and several other forms of dementia are characterized by the accumulation of an abnormal protein called hyperphosphorylated tau. Importantly, this protein has also been found in the cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid bathing the brain) of patients with severe TBI. High levels of this protein are associated with poor clinical outcome.
We will use two types of brain scanning to investigate the role of abnormal tau protein in TBI: Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). PET scans allow us to study the accumulation of tau in the brain, and they can show which parts of the brain are affected by this abnormal protein. MRI scans provide measures of brain network structure and function. We will examine how tau accumulation (PET) relates to cognitive and clinical outcomes, and with disruption in the structure and function of specific brain networks (MRI) in TBI. Patients will also have a blood test, lumbar puncture (LP), and a skin biopsy to investigate a number of blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and tissue markers, which are relevant to neurodegeneration and dementia.
Understanding the role of tau in TBI may help identify ways to predict which patients will continue to deteriorate cognitively following TBI, and indicate a potential new target for future treatments aimed at preventing dementia following TBI.REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1978
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion