A new study has suggested that suffering a concussion in your teens or 20s may result in brain damage that can lead to dementia. People in their 30s who had suffered concussions were shown to have thinning brain tissues, similar to those who have Alzheimer’s.

The Boston School of Medicine research brings youth brain health to the forefront, as people that young are typically free of dementia symptoms. The findings are of particular importance to Australian sports such as NRL and AFL, where head injuries are common.

The most important finding is how concussions may influence brain decay and why it is important for it to be assessed and recorded on medical records even if not considered serious.

According the the Mayo Clinic, a severe head injury that knocks you out for more than 24 hours can increase your future dementia risk, and that being unconsciousness for more than 30 minutes, but less than 24 hours, also increases dementia risk by a smaller scale.

Repeated mild injuries may increase risk of future problems with thinking and reasoning. Another recent research even suggests that there may even be a connection between football and soccer and developing dementia.

This particular study began around 40 years ago, with 14 former players taking part. Of the 14, six of them had signs of Alzheimer’s disease when they underwent post-mortem examinations.

Four of the former player’s brains were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) pathology, which is a possible consequence of repeated impacts to the brain.

However, it should be noted that there are also other factors that contribute to developing dementia aside from injury alone.   Read more….