Citation

Tsai SJ. Med. Hypotheses 2019; 134: e109422.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan; Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan. Electronic address: tsai610913@gmail.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109422

PMID

31654885

Abstract

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease process well-recognized in boxers, American football players and military personnel, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive blows to the head. Subjects with CTE can have a wide range of emotional, cognitive and physical symptoms. The cognitive group patients had a significantly higher probability of developing dementia in later years. Currently, there are no disease modifying regimen for CTE. Timely intervention of head blow could diminish the development of CTE. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a common adjunct used to promote bone healing for fresh fracture. Recent reports suggest that LIPUS can noninvasively modulate the cortical function and have neuroprotective effect in various animal models of traumatic brain injury, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and major depressive disorder. The multifunctional mechanisms of LIPUS neuroprotective effect include several trophic factor stimulations, anti-inflammatory properties and reduction of brain edema. From the above evidence, LIPUS intervention could be a strategy for the prevention of the clinical CTE sequelae of repetitive head blows. We hypothesized that due to its neuroprotective effects, the non-invasive and easy-to-use method of LIPUS brain stimulation could have a preventive effect on players who have head blows during the match. The development of a time sensitive protocol, resembling the therapeutic algorithm for traumatic brain injury, would potentially prevent the development of subsequent CTE adverse outcome. Further long-term longitudinal studies of LIPUS stimulation are warranted to verify the prevention efficacy of this intervention for CTE.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy; Inflammation; Neurotrophic factors; Prevention; Ultrasound