Three or more concussions associated with poorer brain function later in life

The study – the largest of its kind – also found that having just one moderate to severe concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have a long-lasting impact on brain function, including memory.

Led by teams from the University of Oxford and the University of Exeter, the research included data from more than 15,000 participants in the online PROTECT study, who were aged between 50 and 90 and based in Britain. They reported the severity and frequency of concussions they had experienced throughout their lives, and administered annual computerized tests of brain function.

Published in the Journal of NeurotraumaThe study found that people who reported three or more concussions had significantly worse cognitive function, which became successively worse with each subsequent concussion after that. Attention and completion of complex tasks were particularly affected.

Researchers say people who have suffered a concussion should be warned about the dangers of continuing with risky sports or work.

Lead researcher Dr Vanessa Raymont, from the University of Oxford, said: ‘We know that head injury is a major risk factor for dementia, and this large-scale study provides the greatest detail yet on a stark finding: the more often you damages your brain, your brain function may deteriorate as you get older.

“Our research indicates that people who have experienced three or more, even mild, concussions should be given advice on whether to continue with high-risk activities. We should also include organizations operating in areas where it is more likely to the head is affected, encourage them to think about how to protect their heads.” athletes or employees.”

The team found that participants who reported three episodes of even mild concussions over their lifetime had significantly worse attention and ability to perform complex tasks. Those who had four or more mild concussions also showed worse processing speed and working memory. Each additional concussion reported was associated with increasingly poorer cognitive function.

Additionally, the researchers found that reporting even one moderate to severe concussion was associated with worse attention, complex task completion, and processing speed.

In the online PROTECT study, participants share detailed lifestyle information and complete a battery of cognitive tests every year for up to 25 years. This rich trove of data helps researchers understand how the brain ages and what factors are involved in maintaining a healthier brain in later life.

Dr. Helen Brooker, co-author of the study from the University of Exeter, said: “As our population ages, we urgently need new ways to enable people to live healthier lives in later life. This article emphasizes the importance of detailed long-term studies. such as PROTECT in better assessing head injury and its impact on long-term cognitive function, especially as concussion has also been linked to dementia. We are learning that life events that may seem insignificant, life experiencing a mild concussion, can have an impact on the Our findings indicate that cognitive rehabilitation should focus on key functions such as attention and completion of complex tasks, which we have found to predispose are for long-term damage.’

Dr. Susan Kohlhaas, research director at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Studies like this are so important in unraveling the long-term risks of traumatic brain injury, including their effect on the risk of dementia. These findings should send a clear message to policymakers and sports organizations , which must implement robust guidelines that minimize the risk of head injury.”

The research involved collaboration with the University of New South Wales, Australia, Kings College London and University College London, UK, Stavanger University Hospital in Norway and Harvard Medical School, in the US. The. article entitled ‘Lifetime TBI and Cognitive Domain Deficits in Late Life: The PROTECT-TBI cohort study’, published in the Journal of Neurotrauma.