Headaches, nausea, fatigue, and concentration difficulties are common symptoms after a concussion. In most cases, the symptoms disappear after a few days or weeks, sometimes a few months.
However, brain injuries can persist significantly longer than the symptoms, according to new research. Researchers in Canada have studied 187 college students who were active in basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, rugby, volleyball, and American football and who suffered a concussion. These were followed during a season, and 25 of them suffered a concussion during the study period.
Altered blood flows
The participants were examined at the start of the season with a magnetic camera (MR) that shows blood flows in the brain. Those who suffered a concussion were compared with themselves before and after the concussion. They were also compared with individuals who did not suffer a concussion.
What surprised the researchers in the results published in Neurology, was that in those who suffered a concussion, brain damage was visible up to a year after it occurred. This was long after most had resumed their sport, which is usually when the symptoms are gone.
Can take months
The researchers found that those who had suffered a concussion had a reduced blood flow in the insular cortex, a part of the brain involved in, among other things, memory, emotions, and social behavior, compared to before the concussion.
"Concussions can have long-term effects on the brain, and there is increasing evidence that recovery can take months or years, even after the symptoms have disappeared," says Nathan Churchill, researcher at Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada, and one of the authors of the study, in a press release.
Petra Hedbom/TT
Facts: Concussion
TT
When subjected to strong blows to the head, the brain can move so much that it hits the inside of the skull. This is called a concussion.
It is common to experience a brief loss of consciousness in connection with a concussion. This is because the parts of the brain that control how awake you are are affected.
Complications and sequelae
Bleeding, brain swelling, and skull bone damage can occur if you receive a hard blow to the head.
Some people experience long-term problems with headaches, fatigue, dizziness, memory loss, or concentration difficulties.
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