Traumatic Brain Injury and Risk of Incident Dementia: Forensic Applications of Current Research

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has been identified as a risk factor for later developing neurodegenerative disorders, and there has been significant attention on this association in forensic settings. As a result, forensic neuropsychologists are frequently asked to comment on risk for dementia after an alleged TBI in litigation and criminal cases. This article provides an evidence-based foundation to aid forensic practice by synthesizing comprehensive information pertaining to: (i) the role of the neuropsychologist in TBI-related litigation, (ii) the complexities associated with identifying TBIs in forensic cases, (iii) the science of TBI in relation to incident dementia, and (iv) current scientific evidence for chronic traumatic encephalopathy.