Concussion with long-term consequences

A concussion can take a long time to work, as a research team found in the course of a comparative study.

A concussion can cause long-term health consequences for those affected. Although a concussion does not leave any visible traces, the craniocerebral trauma can later become noticeable in thought processes, even if the shock was only slight. So far, physicians had assumed that after a recovery no subsequent consequences for the patient are noticeable. However, a study by the universities of Marburg and Münster contradict this view.

A concussion, or even a mild craniocerebral trauma, is a shock to the human brain that can cause patients to temporarily lose consciousness (less than 30 minutes). The shock is usually provoked by an accident or other violent external influence, such as a blow to the head. A concussion should not be confused with damage to brain structures. If an injury has been found, it is a brain hemorrhage, brain contusion or contusion etc. So far, doctors and researchers always assumed that a concussion leaves no lasting noticeable damage. Psychologists and physicians of the Universities of Münster and Marburg now contradict this common opinion. Even after only a slight concussion, those affected can sustain serious long-term consequences. The researchers were able to determine that some patients still have memory difficulties and a limited ability to learn after six years. In addition, depressive symptoms were much more common than previously thought.

Even slight vibrations during sports, after a fall or a car accident can trigger a slight traumatic brain injury, study author Dr. Carsten Konrad from the University of Marburg. In one study, the researchers studied a total of 33 patients who had a mild traumatic brain injury a few years ago. Subjects were examined psychiatric, neurological, neuropsychological and magnetic resonance imaging. In order to compare the results, 33 subjects participated, who had no concussion until now.

Impairments in various cognitive areas such as learning, memory or attention
The results showed that after six years the study participants showed moderate to severe impairments in various neuropsychological areas such as learning, memory or attention, but also in the so-called executive functions, such as making plans, setting goals or making decisions. In addition, the researchers observed that depressive symptoms were much more common than others. „We can rule out that the observed impairments can be explained by depression or suboptimal performance“, said Carsten Konrad. Although the study was able to prove that concussions can still be detected after years, the causes of this need to be investigated more closely. The study results are in the science magazine „Psychological Medicine“ appeared. (sb, 26.10.2010)

Also read:
Brain Research: Can You Only Do 2 Things Simultaneously?
Food for´s brain: high performance through nutrition
Inadequate treatment for concussions

Picture credits: Dieter Schütz