If you play sports in Connecticut or engage in other high-risk activities, you may have possibly sustained a concussion at some point, perhaps even without realizing it. While some people do not take this type of injury very seriously, Science Daily states that a 2013 study indicates that you may have brain damage after receiving a concussion; sometimes, this has the potential to affect you for years.
Brain injuries can be broken down into mild traumatic brain injuries and traumatic brain injuries. About 75 percent of those mild injuries are concussions. If you believe you may have sustained a concussion, it is not recommended that you immediately continue with physical activities; instead, it is a good idea to speak to your physician, especially if you have concussive symptoms, such as memory loss or dizziness.
This is important because researchers have found that for up to a year or more after your head trauma, psychological and neurological complications may persist. You may experience mood disorders or a decrease in attention or memory because when your brain experiences structural injuries, it causes some parts to lose volume. Prolonged symptoms and permanent damage do not affect every sufferer of a concussion; however, it is estimated that between 10 and 20 percent of the injuries result in more enduring harm.
By taking 3-D magnetic resonance images of the brains of patients who had sustained concussions a year previously, researchers were able to identify the impact of that single head trauma. These images showed which parts of the brain decreased in volume after a concussion. To understand how you may be affected over a long period of time, scientists are conducting further research.
