B.
A large study offers more evidence of a link between traumatic brain injuries and dementia later in life, with repeated
injuries and severe ones posing the greatest danger. Researchers analyzed 36 years of health records of 2.8 million people in
Denmark, where a national health system makes it possible to explore connections in a far-reaching way. ___21____ the risk
was small. About 95 percent of people who suffered a brain injury never developed dementia. But a single severe brain injury
increased the risk of later dementia by 35 percent ___22___ a person who never had brain trauma. A mild brain injury increased
the risk by 17 percent. Each additional brain injury added to the danger. Scientists know that a blow to the head can damage brain cells, but they don't know exactly ___23___that might lead to
later cognitive problems. This kind of study can't prove a cause-and-effect relationship, but researchers tried to eliminate the
possible effects of age, gender, marital status and health, including depression. In a commentary in the journal, Dr. Carol
Brayne of University of Cambridge's medical school in England wrote that improvements in care mean more people are
surviving brain injuries, making it crucial to understand more about their long-term effects.
【題組】22.
(A) connected with
(B) referred to
(C) compared with
(D) thriving on