Different types of brain damage caused by a concussion may lead to similar symptoms in children, according to research led by McGill University. A new way of studying concussions could help develop future treatments.
While most children fully recover after a concussion, some will have lasting symptoms. The findings published in eLife help explain the complex relationships that exist between symptoms and the damage caused by the injury.
McGill University is participating in a new research project titled Tête première (head first), led by the team of neuropsychologist Dr. Louis De Beaumont, a researcher at the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal research centre and a professor in the Department of Surgery at Université de Montréal. The project will assess the brain’s capacities to sustain blows to the head during a full university football season.
Lawyers representing both sides in concussion lawsuits against sports leagues may eventually have a new tool at their disposal: a diagnostic signature that uses artificial intelligence to detect brain trauma years after it has occurred.
When NHL star player Sidney Crosby suffered a concussion during a game in May – the fourth concussion of his career – the news made nationwide headlines. A few years earlier, a concussion had kept the Pittsburgh Penguins star off the ice for ten months.
Concussions can have serious consequences, even in cases where the victim shows few symptoms immediately. Victims often shrug off a mild blow to the head, unaware that brain damage has occurred.
June is National Brain Injury Awareness Month. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adults from ages 1 to 44. Brain injuries are most often caused by motor vehicle crashes, sports injuries, or simple falls on the playground, at work or in the home.
Brain activation study helps to diagnose concussions in children and youths
