New Research Shows Concussions Have Long Term Effects

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New research shows damage to the brain can persist for decades after the original head trauma. The research conducted by Dr. Maryse Lassonde, a neuropsychologist and the scientific director of the Quebec Nature and Technologies Granting Agency, demonstrates that brain waves remain abnormal in young athletes for two years following a concussion, and atrophy occurs in the motor pathways of the brain following a hit, writes Medicalxpress.com. Concussion
“Even when you are symptom-free, your brain may still not be back to normal,” says Dr. Maryse Lassonde.
The study published in the journals Brain and Cerebral Cortex, shows that the older athletes who had suffered a head trauma 30 years earlier had memory and attention deficits and motor problems similar to the early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Further testing of these older athletes turned up a thinning of the cortex in the same regions of the brain that Alzheimer’s disease usually affects.
“This new information is very disturbing. We must continue to teach our children and their coaches the warning signs of possible concussions. I am also planning to have my girls stop heading the soccer balls on a regular basis. It looks cool to head the ball into the goal, but when done multiple times, can have seriously negative effects on the brain long-term.”, said Manhatthan Orthopaedic Care’s physician Dr. Armin Tehrany.