Mild concussions linked to detectable changes in the brain – study

A history of concussions, even mild ones, was linked to changes in the brain, poorer sleep and depressive symptoms, according to a new study.

Even a mild concussion could lead to long-term changes in the brain, according to a new study.
A team of UK-based researchers led by the University of Cambridge interviewed over 600 adults aged between 40 and 59. Around a third of them had a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that led to a loss of consciousness.
They analysed participants with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and measured their cognition, sleep, depression, gait, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
Nearly half of the men (48.7 per cent) said they had a history of at least one injury compared to 28.1 per cent of women, according to the findings published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
The MRIs showed that people with a history of TBI showed changes in the blood vessels of their brains.
Moreover, high numbers of brain injuries were linked to poorer sleep, gait disturbances, more severe depression symptoms, and memory impairments, though not cognitive deficits.
TBI was even the most important factor contributing to sleep disturbance and depression.
“History of TBI, even mild TBI, was associated with detectable alterations in clinical and neuroimaging measures as early as midlife,” the authors wrote in their conclusion. 
“Our data suggest that TBI-related clinical features (eg, depression, poorer sleep) may operate via cerebrovascular injury, which also correlate with other dementia risk factors,” they added, as the research is part of a large study to detect the early signs of dementia.
“These observations underscore potential intervention targets for dementia prevention in patients with TBI, and avenues for future research”.
Moreover, the authors suggested implementing safety guidelines for the public exposed to brain incidents could diminish the risks.
Athletes who participate in contact sports, such as football, hockey, and boxing, are particularly exposed as are construction workers, military personnel and people prone to falls and seizures.
Several high-profile sports players for instance have raised awareness about recurrent concussions and taken legal action against organisations that failed to protect them.