STONY BROOK, NY, July 28, 2020 – Two studies led by Stony Brook University researchers to be presented virtually at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on July 28, 2020, indicate that World Trade Center (WTC) first responders are at risk for developing dementia. The studies included individuals with signs of cognitive impairment (CI) who show neuroradiological abnormalities and changes in their blood similar to that seen in Alzheimer’s disease patients and those with related dementias.
One study in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring (DADM) shows that many responders with CI have reduced gray matter thickness in the brain consistent with neurodegenerative conditions and evidence their brain “age” is about 10 years older on average than the normal population. This research is in collaboration with scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
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These brain images are a compilation of MRI results from WTC responders. The images show gray matter atrophy on the brain, with yellow and red areas revealing statistically significant atrophy compared to the normal population. Red areas show worse atrophy than yellow.
The other study, to be published in Translational Psychiatry, reveals some responders with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild CI possess protein changes in their blood consistent with Alzheimer’s.
“The environmental exposures and psychological pressures experienced by responders during 911 and its aftermath has had an insidious effect on their health and well-being,” says Benjamin Luft, MD, Director of the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program. “Now nearly 20 years post-911, clinicians who care for these individuals are seeing more patients who are showing signs of cognitive disorders and possible dementia. Findings from our new studies provide data for the first time that support the idea that this population of patients who have cognitive impairment not only have psychological problems such as PTSD but may be at high-risk for neurodegenerative disorders, a possibility that needs immediate and continued investigation.”
One study is the first to use MRI imaging to assess the brain matter of WTC responder patients with and without symptoms of CI. The goal of this study is to determine if WTC responders in their midlife have developed CI due to changes in their brain possibly caused by neurotoxins they were exposed to at Ground Zero. The age range of patients was 45 to 65 years, an age range where cortical atrophy is rare in the normal population.
