A recent study published in the Journal of American Medical Association uncovered alarming connections between posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) and long-term dementia risk. While both head injuries and epilepsy have long been associated with cognitive impairments, this study looked into the specific risk posed by PTE on dementia development over extended periods.
The study was conducted by the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) project spanned over 25 years with data collected until December 31, 2019 and examined a cohort of 12,558 participants from four U.S. communities. The participants were initially enrolled in the late 1980s with data analysis carried out from March 2023 to January 2024. The findings highlighted the long-term consequences of head injuries and subsequent epileptic seizures.

The key findings from the study revealed that individuals with PTE underwent a 4.56 times higher risk of developing dementia when compared to the individuals without head injury or epilepsy. Even when compared to individuals with only head injuries or nontraumatic epilepsy, the dementia risk associated with PTE remained significantly high. These results underscore the critical need for preventative measures targeting head injuries and epilepsy, especially considering their potentially devastating cognitive outcomes.
The secondary analyses of the study indicated consistent dementia risk associated with PTE regardless of factors such as the severity of the initial head injury. These findings highlight the urgency for further research into the mechanisms underlying PTE and the identification of risk factors for its development.
The study emphasized the importance of these findings that provide compelling evidence linking PTE to long-term cognitive decline. This underlines the necessity for comprehensive strategies to prevent head injuries and subsequent epilepsy, as well as targeted interventions to reduce the risk of PTE-related dementia.
Reference:
Schneider, A. L. C., Law, C. A., Gottesman, R. F., Krauss, G., Huang, J., Kucharska-Newton, A., Jensen, F. E., Gugger, J. J., Diaz-Arrastia, R., & Johnson, E. L. (2024). Posttraumatic Epilepsy and Dementia Risk. In JAMA Neurology. American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.0010