According to recent research on brain damage caused by impacts to the skull, it has been determined that memory and thinking can be affected even by minor blows to the head.
In the latest studies conducted on some American football and ice hockey players, all of whom wore special helmets during the games in the season, none of the players were diagnosed with any type of concussion during the study period. However, the special helmets recorded data every time one of the players received a minor blow to the head.
The accelerometers in each helmet allowed for counting and quantifying the intensity and frequency of the impacts.
Does Learning Ability and Memory Get Affected?
Researchers found significant changes in the brain's white matter among individuals who performed worse on memory and learning ability tests. White matter is responsible for transmitting messages between different parts of the brain.
Skull Fracture…Impact and Counterimpact
This proves that it is not only concussions that deserve special attention. These athletes were not diagnosed with any form of concussion during the study period. However, there is a subgroup that may be more prone and sensitive to impacts, indicating the need to learn more about the changes, their duration, or whether they could be permanent.
What Are the Consequences and Symptoms of a Brain Injury?
Concussions are mild traumatic brain injuries caused by a sudden blow, either to the head or body. Symptoms may include headaches, blurred vision, and some difficulty sleeping or thinking clearly.
Dr. McAllister, who conducted the study, compared a total of 80 American football and ice hockey players who had not suffered any concussions and wore special helmets, with other athletes involved in non-contact sports. He conducted pre- and post-season brain scans and memory and learning tests.
The results showed that 20% of contact sport players and 11% of non-contact sport athletes scored poorly on verbal learning and memory tests, far worse than what is expected in less than 1% of the normal population. Those with the worst scores exhibited significant changes in the corpus callosum region of the brain compared to those with expected scores.
The researchers noted that they were not surprised by the findings since some head impacts, even without a diagnosed concussion, can cause brain damage without visible symptoms.
They also suggested that future research could clarify the effects if special helmets capable of measuring changes in blood flow and brain pressure due to repeated head impacts were used.
Prognosis
If it can be proven that brain changes occur without direct head impact, it is cause for concern. It is crucial to understand the significant risks of being struck in the brain over one’s lifetime, leading to difficulty concentrating and learning new things.
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