Traumatic Brain Injury/Chronic Encephalopathy as Cause of Alzheimer's Disease: Physics and Molecular Biology in the Genesis Neurodegeneration?

In recent years, substantial progress has been made in advancing our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. Even so, the precise pathogenetic mechanisms underlying their onset and progression remain incompletely understood. This applies even to the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and multiple system atrophy (MSA), all of which have been recognized and diagnosed for decades. At the same time, brain trauma, particularly in the form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), has become a major focus of scientific interest. These conditions are increasingly recognized in the general population, whether due to occupational exposure, such as among military personnel and contact sport athletes, or through other circumstances involving repetitive head injury. In addition, a growing body of evidence suggests links between TBI and CTE and several established neurodegenerative diseases.This Special Issue was conceived to explore this relationship more closely, focusing on how the mechanical stress and shear forces generated by brain impact may induce molecular and biochemical alterations that ultimately contribute to neurodegeneration, with particular emphasis on Alzheimer's disease. The overarching aim is therefore to assess and describe a possible causal relationship between TBI and CTE and the later development of Alzheimer's disease.