Concussion Damages Persist after Symptoms Fade

Even though the symptoms of a concussion may vanish, a new study shows that problems regarding headaches, memory loss and dizziness can still continue to occur over time. 

"This is a very different population than professional athletes going out and having concussions on a fairly [frequent] basis, as well as jostling their brain around their skull on a regular basis in practice," said study author Andrew Mayer, an associate professor of translational neuroscience at the Mind Research Network in Albuquerque, NM,  via WebMD. "Just because you fell you're healed doesn't mean you are."

Researchers analyzed 100 people-half of whom had suffered a concussion. Participants in the study were of the same age and had similar education levels. They also showed similar memory and thinking sills, as well as levels of anxiety and depression, that were revealed through various tests.

Study authors looked at brain scans and compared healthy brains to those that had undergone a concussion. They scanned those that had dealt with the health issue right after receiving it and two weeks after, and then again four mouths later.

Study findings showed that those who had suffered a concussion had brain abnormalities at four months in the brain scans of the concussion group, even though symptoms had decreased by 27 percent. Abnormalities were particularly evident in the frontal cortex--the area of the brain that houses most of the dopamine-sensitive neurons that are associated with reward, attention and short memory.

"During recovery, reported symptoms like pain are greatly reduced before the body is finished healing, when the tissue scabs," Mayer said according to FOX News. "These findings may have important implications about when it is truly safe to resume physical activities that could produce a second concussion, potentially further injuring an already vulnerable brain."

More information regarding the study can be found via Neurology.