A Single Concussion May Cause Lasting Brain Damage

Just one concussive episode can cause changes in brain structure which can increase the probability of depressive episodes and cognitive functioning were the findings of a study by a group of radiologists. The study, published online on June 1, 2013, in the medical journal, Radiology, used three dimensional MRI scanning to measure the brain volume of 28 recent concussion victims and those of 22 healthy subjects. A year later, researchers conducted the same scan of 19 patients with mild traumatic brain injuries and 12 of a healthy control group.

The study found atrophy in the overall brain volume, but also found that the atrophy was particularly pronounced in areas of the brain which are critical to memory, attention, judgment, higher order reasoning, depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder.

The study’s lead author was Dr. Yvonne W. Lui, chief of neuroradiology at NYU’s Langone Medical Center. “This study confirms what we have long suspected,” said Dr Lui, [after a mild traumatic brain injury] there is true structural injury to the brain, even though we don’t see much on routine clinical imaging,