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The New Hope – The New Perspective – Alzheimer’s Disease Subtype 5

“Will bashing the brain, whether is as trivial as doing a header playing soccer to the real Mohammed Ali type boxer bashing, will lead to cognitive impairment (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy)?”

Hello, this is Dr Dennis again. It’s so lovely to “see” you here. For those who visited this website for the first time, there are two series on everything about Dementia before this. Can I invite you to check those out if you haven’t done so, as they will make more sense?  Buckled up (or should I say, helmet up?), we are going to talk about an exciting but controversial cause of cognitive impairment!

I am going to outline current evidence for and against the impact of head trauma on cognition, which is mainly done on retired professional footballers.  Can I highlight the word professional? This is their bread and butter, and they train daily (mostly, go Cats!). Their chance of repeated head trauma is more than an amateur player like you and me. So, don’t panic; we must interpret things in context.

Prefrontal cortex

The prefrontal cortex is the part of brain, which mediates important functions such as judgement, planning, abstract thinking, behavioural and attention. It is also vulnerable to blunt trauma.

The controversy and the unknown

Although the condition, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) has been documented and studied extensively, the incidence in real life is unknown. It is thought to be due to repeated head trauma experienced by professional footballers and military combat personnel. There are ongoing debates about how frequent, at what age, and how severe the “trauma” needs to be to produce CTE. There seems to be a clear association – “repetitive heading during a professional soccer career is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment in later life (1)”, but there is also the suggestion of an “unclear link between Dementia and soccer (2)” and the idea that it is “reversible (3)”.

The Potential Solutions – General Principal

  • Induce endogenous (within the body/natural) ketosis through ways described in the previous blog
  • Diet – maximise Omega-3, avoid long-life oceanic fish such as swordfish/sharks, flaxseeds, chia & hemp seeds, walnuts
  • Food/supplements that improve blood flow through nitric oxide generation (Spinach, Beets, Kale, etc). Food high in Nicotinamide (Vitamin B3) or supplements can be used.
  • Citacholine & DHA are essential ingredients in producing phospholipids. Phospholipids are crucial in maintaining cellular integrity, cross-membrane function, etc (4).
  • Food that increases BDNF, such as turmeric, green leafy vegetables, dark chocolate and prebiotics
  • EWOT (Exercise with oxygen therapy) impacts Dopamine production. Dopamine is often known as “the happy neurotransmitter” or “the reward neurotransmitter.” Other molecules include endorphin, which is elevated during exercise and the moderation of noradrenaline hormone to achieve equilibrium. It has also been postulated that EWOT may have a role in preventing Alzheimer’s, as hypoxia is one of the crucial factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of AD. “Numerous studies have shown that oxygen therapy could improve the risk factors and clinical symptoms of AD. Increasing evidence also suggests that oxygen therapy may improve many pathological aspects of AD, including amyloid-beta metabolism, tau phosphorylation, neuroinflammation, neuronal apoptosis, oxidative stress, neurotrophic factors, mitochondrial function, cerebral blood volume, and protein synthesis”(5).

What is the main take-home message?

  • So far, you may have realised that many approaches outlined here overlap with other subtypes.
  • An individual can have a mix of a few subtypes; hence, the approach may be simplified due to the overlap recommendations.
  • Although the evidence of repeated heart trauma leads to CTE, my recommendation is to adopt the inconvenience of wearing a helmet during any contact sport in exchange for surviving neurons! Worth it? You are a better judge!

Friends, on that note, series three is now completed! Thank you so much for your loyalty, your determination and your diligence! In the following series, I will discuss the impact of genes on Alzheimer’s. Until then, take care, live well, and see you soon!

Please call my PA, Melissa, on 0422 678 660, leave a message, or email info@mind4lifecoaching.com.au, and we will respond to you if you have any questions.

References