Repeat Head Injuries Affect Brain Structure.
A young adult who has previously experienced two or more mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) may have structural changes in his or her brain that could signal a greater risk for dementia later in life. Compared to healthy controls without a history of head injuries, MRI scans of young adults who suffered two or more mTBIs indicate reduced cortical thickness in the areas of the brain associated with visual memories, language comprehension, emotion association, motor control, self-awareness, cognitive functioning, interpersonal experience, contemplating distance, recognition of known faces, and accessing word meaning while reading. Previous research has associated cortical thinning with increased dementia risk.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, May 2015