Young athletes with a history of concussion (HOC) sustain more brain injury from later concussive events compared to those without such history, according to an MRI study published August 25 in Neurology.

“Results indicate subacute and chronic effects of HOC on cingulate [cerebral blood flow] and callosal microstructure, in the absence of differences in clinical indices. These findings provide new insights into physiological brain recovery after concussion, with cumulative effects of repeated injury detected among young, healthy athletes,” concluded the study authors.

The study’s senior author is Tom Schweizer, Ph.D., of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, reports AuntMinnie’s Yee.

“‘Our findings suggest that an athlete with a history of concussion should be watched closely, as these subtle brain changes may be worsened by repeated injury,’ Schweizer said. ‘Additionally, our results should raise concern about the cumulative effects of repeated head injuries later in life,'” quotes Yee.

Sources:

Nathan W Churchill, Michael G Hutchison, Simon J Graham, Tom A Schweizer. “Acute and Chronic Effects of Multiple Concussions on Midline Brain Structures.” Neurology Aug 2021, 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012580; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012580 Accessed September 05, 2021, at https://n.neurology.org/content/early/2021/08/25/WNL.0000000000012580

Yee, Kate. “MRI shows long-term effects of concussion on young athletes.” August 25, 2021, AuntMinnie.com. Accessed September 6, 2021, at https://www.auntminnie.com/index.aspx?sec=sup&sub=mri&pag=dis&ItemID=133318