3 Concussions Associated with Declining Brain Function Later in Life

In a statement, the researchers said people who have had a concussion should be aware of the increased risk of continuing high-risk sports and jobs.

“We know that head trauma is a major risk factor for dementia. This large study shows that the more brain injuries you have in your life, the more likely brain function deteriorates with age.” It presents the most detailed findings to date.,” said Vanessa RaymontMSc, Principal Investigator, Senior Clinical Investigator at Oxford Neuroscience.

“Our research shows that people who have had three or more mild concussions should seek counseling about whether to continue high-risk activities,” she added. “We also need to encourage organizations operating in areas where the potential for head impact is high to consider ways to protect athletes and employees.”

Participants who reported three episodes of mild concussion had significantly reduced attention and ability to complete complex tasks. Those who had four or more mild concussions also had reduced processing speed and memory.

Researchers associated each additional reported concussion with progressively worsening cognitive function.

Even a single episode of moderate to severe concussion was associated with decreased attention, completion of complex tasks, and decreased processing power.

An expert told Healthline that we still don’t know everything there is to know about concussions.

Time and withdrawal from the activity that caused the brain injury may be the best treatment.

“There is a correlation between concussion healing and the severity of the injury and the timing of recovery.” Doctor.Kate Rabiner A pediatric neurologist at Pediatrix Child Neurology Consultants in Austin, Texas told Healthline.

“The second-hit theory is based on the idea that a second head injury persists before the previous injury heals,” Rabiner said. , suffered another blow, which has been shown to prolong recovery.”

Rabiner said that’s why it’s important to pull athletes out of the game as soon as they experience any head injury, for example, and immediately implement a protocol to assess for possible concussion.

“The most important factor in managing a concussion is recognizing the injury and completing healing before returning to activity,” Rabiner said. It is a gradual increase in activity that must be free of symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and sensitivity to light.”

Another factor is that not everyone reacts to head injuries in the same way.

In addition, symptoms can be caused by other factors, such as people without head injuries having migraine headaches.

“We still need more information about the long-term effects of fully healed concussion and post-concussion syndrome,” said Labiner. “We don’t know the long-term effects of a healed concussion, but we do know that even when a concussion heals, there can usually be residual cognitive effects. Most importantly, the injury recover before you are at risk of another injury.”

Dr. Huma SheikhHe is a neurologist and CEO of NY Neurology Medicine in New York City.

Many of them also depend on the severity of the impact, which can be difficult to measure.

“The type of injury and the severity of the concussion also play a factor in how long-lasting effects it has,” Sheikh said. There is some evidence that this is highly variable.”

Sheikh told Healthline that how long the damage lasts depends on the person’s ability to heal.

“Some people with a genetic predisposition to migraine may have worse migraine attacks after a concussion.” there is.”

Sheikh said there is still much to be worked out, especially when it comes to treatment.

“In the past, I used to ask my patients to take time off work after a concussion to give their brain a rest, but now it’s not so clear,” she said. There is no real drug that can help prevent damage to

Ariana Kaminski of New Jersey told Healthline she suffered a concussion many years ago after being hit by a basketball during gym class in high school. rice field.

Doctors diagnosed her with a mild concussion and told her to stay home for a few days. Her symptoms should go away.When they didn’t, she had an MRI which showed everything was “normal.”

Not feeling normal, Kaminski had car sickness, sensitivity to light, and other conditions that put him on various treatments, all of which made matters worse.

She said she was unable to study and that affected her career choices. Drug side effects also took their toll.

Kaminski is now 24 and still has symptoms, though less severe.

“When I took my healing power into my own hands, I started to get better,” she said. , I began exposing myself to controlled light and sound in a way I could handle.I listened to my body and gave it what it needed: rest, energy, simple tasks. started.

“Over the years, I slowly improved,” she said. “I am still sensitive to environmental changes such as sounds, smells, and lights, and I often have migraines and neck and shoulder pain. I have dizziness and eye problems.”

Kaminski, who had never experienced a migraine before her injury, said her doctors didn’t have an answer yet.

“Some doctors are surprised that I’m still showing symptoms after all these years, and some aren’t,” she said.