Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide leading to temporary or permanent impairment. TBIs accounted for approximately 2.2 million emergency department visits, 223,000 hospitalizations and 64,000 deaths in the United States in 2020. Defined as a sudden and brutal injury to the brain, TBIs are caused by a mechanical stabbing or acceleration/deceleration waves forcing the brain to move rapidly within the skull, resulting in hemorrhage, contusion and immediate clinical effects. It has become of great concern due to its complex and multifaceted pathogenesis which plays a major role in the paucity of proven therapies for this “silent epidemic”.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been identified as a significant risk factor for tauopathies, a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by abnormal tau protein accumulation. Following TBI, mechanical damage and subsequent neuroinflammatory responses can lead to tau hyperphosphorylation, misfolding, and aggregation, which disrupts neuronal function and integrity. This pathological tau accumulation can spread across connected brain regions, resembling prion-like propagation. Repeated TBIs, such as those seen in contact sports or military settings, are strongly associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a specific tauopathy marked by cognitive, behavioral, and motor deficits. Additionally, TBI may accelerate the onset and progression of other tau-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. The link between TBI and tauopathies highlights the importance of early intervention and monitoring in individuals with a history of brain injury. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing targeted therapies to mitigate long-term neurodegenerative risks.

Publications:
  • Chaoul, V., Awad, M., Harb, F., Najjar, F., Hamade, A., Nabout, R., & Soueid, J. (2022). Saffron Extract Attenuates Anxiogenic Effect and Improves Cognitive Behavior in an Adult Zebrafish Model of Traumatic Brain Injury. International journal of molecular sciences, 23(19), 11600. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911600
  • Ghazale, H., Ramadan, N., Mantash, S., Zibara, K., El-Sitt, S., Darwish, H., Chamaa, F., Boustany, R. M., Mondello, S., Abou-Kheir, W., Soueid, J., & Kobeissy, F. (2018). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) enhances the therapeutic potential of neonatal neural stem cell transplantation post-Traumatic brain injury. Behavioural brain research, 340, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2017.11.007
  • Gazalah, H., Mantash, S., Ramadan, N., Al Lafi, S., El Sitt, S., Darwish, H., Azari, H., Fawaz, L., Ghanem, N., Zibara, K., Boustany, R. M., Kobeissy, F., & Soueid, J. (2016). Postnatal Neural Stem Cells in Treating Traumatic Brain Injury. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 1462, 689–710.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3816-2_38
  • Nasser, M., Ballout, N., Mantash, S., Bejjani, F., Najdi, F., Ramadan, N., Soueid, J., Zibara, K., & Kobeissy, F. (2018). Transplantation of Embryonic Neural Stem Cells and Differentiated Cells in a Controlled Cortical Impact (CCI) Model of Adult Mouse Somatosensory Cortex. Frontiers in neurology, 9, 895. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2018.00895