The majority of instances of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the US are classified as concussions. Mild traumatic brain injury occurs when a direct blow to the head causes the brain to collide with the skull. Most people who experience a concussion or similar traumatic brain injury recover, but the brain must be given time to rest and heal properly. More recently, researchers have discovered that even a single occurrence of traumatic brain injury may create a greater potential for the injured person to experience memory problems both immediately after the injury and later in life.
Potential Memory Impairment and Traumatic Brain Injury
For people who experience concussions, recent evidence points to an increased likelihood for memory impairment in the short and long term. Researchers have noticed patterns linking the severity of traumatic brain injury (mild to moderate) with the amount and intensity of symptoms experienced one, three, ten, and thirty years later.
With respect to memory loss, a mild traumatic brain injury can set the stage for memory deficits down the road. Concussion patients often do not remember the accident or the minutes or hours immediately before or after the injury. The potential damage to the brain’s memory centers may also alter future memory capacity.
Generally, patients with low-level deficits struggle with short-term memory – such as repeating stories or not remembering where they left their keys. Long-term memories, such as those from childhood, tend to remain intact. Memory impairment is also present in Alzheimer’s disease, and the two conditions overlap in the area of brain injury.
Related Cognitive Deficits and Mood Disorders
In addition to setting the stage for memory issues, long term complications among people who have suffered multiple concussions can be severe and may include significant mental and psychological deficits as well as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Evidence now exists that just one concussion may place some people at an increased risk of experiencing depression and mood disorders later in life.
A concussion patient may become prone to issues with mood and depression later in life. They may also lose interest in his/her favorite activities or may not feel the same pleasure and relaxation from previously enjoyed places and things. People may also develop shorter tempers or even lash out verbally when something upsets them.
Depression and anxiety result from changes in brain signals and can be influenced by different circumstances, but based on changes made in the brain after a traumatic brain injury. Mild to severe anxiety can also manifest ranging from general restlessness to panic attacks.
Studies Link Traumatic Brain Injury to Memory Impairment and Other Conditions Common to Alzheimer’s
A relatively recent study conducted Dr. Maryse Lassonde, a neuropsychologist and the scientific director of the Quebec Nature and Technologies Granting Agency focused on the potential long-term effects a concussion may have on memory and cognition. Lassonde compared healthy adult athletes to those of the same age who suffered from a mild to moderate concussion 30 years ago.
The study results showed that those who experienced a concussion exhibited symptoms similar to those of early Parkinson’s disease, including significant memory and attention deficits. In addition, further tests revealed that the older athletes who had suffered from concussion also exhibited a thinning of the cortex in the same section of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease – a condition where severe memory impairment and dementia sets in.
References:
NPR – Can Just One Concussion Change the Brain?
