Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

Medical Student Research Biomedical

16 INFLUENCE OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM INJURY ON ALZHEIMER DISEASE TIMING AND DEVELOPMENT: A LARGE SCALE RETROSPECTIVE COHORT ANALYSIS

Madeleine Sifford, OMS-II (1*); Virginia Axline, OMS-II (1*); Angelica Joshi, OMS-II (1*); Kelly C.S. Roballo, DVM, PhD. *These authors contributed equally to this work Corresponding author: msifford@vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

dementias, while also having a prior diagnosis of a CNS injury (TBI, SCI, or invasive spinal surgery). We will exclude those who have a diagnosis of a CNS injury after the onset of AD or those whose dementia diagnosis is determined to be incidental. Our control group will include age-matched individuals who have a diagnosis of AD without a preceding CNS injury. We will analyze the datasets to find potential correlations between the incidence and timing of onset of AD with or without a CNS injury. Data will be compiled into graphs to evaluate differences between the two groups. These groups will then be analyzed using a Chi-square test to determine significance and potential associations between the onset of AD and a preceding CNS injury. Results: Data extraction and analysis are ongoing. Our preliminary analysis revealed that of the patients with AD, those who had experienced a CNS injury at some time in their life were diagnosed an average of 7 years earlier than the controls, at 76 years old, compared to 83 years old. As we continue to analyze the dataset, we anticipate observing a continuation in this measurable difference between the incidence and timing of onset of AD in patients with a preceding CNS injury.

Context: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disease that continues to affect a significant portion of the population. The exact mechanism of disease is not fully understood, making this a continued topic of investigation in medical research. Recent evidence has suggested that inflammatory or traumatic insults to the central nervous system (CNS) earlier in life can create a heightened risk of later developing AD, or other specified dementias, possibly at an earlier age (Mahmoudi et al., 2021). By examining the medical histories of patients with a diagnosis of AD or related dementias, this study seeks to investigate the role that CNS injury has on disease incidence and age of onset. Objective/Hypothesis: To determine the relationship between CNS injury, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), or invasive spinal surgery, with the incidence and onset of Alzheimer Disease or severe dementia. We hypothesize that CNS injury will correlate with an increased risk for the development of AD later in life, as well as an earlier age of onset when compared to the general population. Methods: Using the All of Us Database, we will create cohorts and datasets of selected patients who have a diagnosis of Alzheimer Disease or other selected

Conclusions: Preliminary dataset findings and a review of the current literature suggest that patients who experience prior CNS injury have an increased incidence and earlier development of AD and related dementias. These results suggest a need for further investigation into the relationship between CNS trauma, chronic CNS inflammation, and the development of Alzheimer's disease. IRB Statement: Not applicable. This project is a retrospective cohort study and does not involve human or new animal subjects. Source citation: Mahmoudi E, Lin P, Peterson MD, Meade MA, Tate DG, Kamdar N. Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury and Risk of Early and Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia: Large Longitudinal Study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2021 Jun;102(6):1147 1154. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2020.12.019. Epub 2021 Jan 27. PMID: 3350833

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105 2026 Research Recognition Day