According to a recent study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, researchers have learned more about the potential behavioral damage caused by sports-related brain injuries. These injuries usually result from repeated blows to the head, commonly sustained by professional sports players hit regularly during gameplay or those who sustain multiple concussions (mild TBI) over their careers. The research could help to establish a foundation for better ways to quickly identify the milder traumatic brain injuries (TBI) that can lead to the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) later in life.
The study shows that mice with mild, repetitive traumatic brain injury (TBI) seemed to develop a number of similar behavioral problems as humans. These deficits included memory problems as well as issues with judgment and simple decision making.
Research Continues to Reinforce the Link between Repetitive Trauma and Behavioral Consequences
According to an article posted by PT Products, certain experiments in this study were designed to effectively simulate the type of mild TBI that is very common in contact sports. The research group then monitored the mice’s performance across several tasks developed to measure behavior, which included tests to measure spatial and learning memory, the level of electrical activity inside their brain, and anxiety and risk-taking behavior. The results revealed that the mice with repetitive mild TBI performed consistently below average (poorly) in every test, and the poor performance persisted over time long-term. Lead researcher, Anthony L. Petraglia, MD, said:
“This new model captures both the clinical aspects of repetitive mild TBI and CTE. While public awareness of the long-term health risk of blows to the head is growing rapidly, our ability to scientifically study the fundamental neurological impact of mild brain injuries has lagged. These results resemble the spectrum of neuro-behavioral problems that have been reported and observed in individuals who have sustained multiple mild TBI and those who were subsequently diagnosed with CTE, including behaviors such as poor judgment, risk taking, and depression.”
The results reached by Petraglia’s team only further supports the link between repetitive concussions (mild TBI) and long-term emotional and mental consequences. Studies like this one bring scientists steps closer to identifying the specific mechanism that is damaged by concussions, and will hopefully lead researchers closer to a potential remedy.
Things we know about Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries and Potential Long-Term Effects
Based on this experiment and other recent research similar to it, scientists now understand that even a small blow or “bump” to the head has the potential to change the brain. The issue lies in professional contact sports, where players are subjected to these blows regularly. Often times, repeated cases of mild TBI aren’t necessarily categorized as concussions – and many players go through their careers suffering from repetitive, minor brain injuries without adequately resting or recovering. At the time, these near-concussions seem to subside. However, with each recurrence – each additional blow, the damage can be cumulative.
Another recent study compared the brain scan images from mild concussion patients with scans from a group of normal, non-concussed individuals. The scans were taken one year after the injury. The scans of concussed brains displayed signs of brain damage in parts of the brain directly associated with mood disorders, judgment, and depression. The probability of experiencing long-term complications increases in cases where the person does not allow the brain adequate time to heal. In the cases of career athletes, very mild concussions are sometimes ignored or overlooked and this process repeats itself to the detriment of the person’s brain. This is one major item that current concussion research hopes to change.
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