https://goo.gl/HuHUst
Boys 11 to 14 years of age who sustained concussion while playing hockey showed signs of brain injury that persisted long after clinical scores returned to normal, researchers said.
Analysis of adolescent hockey players examined 24 to 72 hours after a diagnosis of concussion and again at 3 months revealed acute clinical deficits in thinking, memory and balance as well as structural and metabolic changes to the brain compared to controls, according to Ravi S. Menon, PhD, of the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, and colleagues.
Clinical composite scores shot up immediately after concussion but returned to control levels within 24 days on average, the study authors reported online in Neurology.
After 3 months, however, changes seen on longitudinal multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) persisted, including diffusion abnormalities within several white matter tracts, functional hyperconnectivity, and 10% decreases in choline levels.
This meant that many players who had sustained concussion were back out on the ice with connectivity changes, diffusion-related white matter abnormalities, and metabolite decreases in the prefrontal white matter. That may have left them more vulnerable to second concussions and potential long-term neurodegenerative consequences.