Effects of Concussion and Repetitive Head Impacts Including Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

The absence of concussion symptoms doesn't mean the brain has fully recovered, suggests two new studies, one finding that blood flow and carbon dioxide levels in the brains of athletes are reduced under the stress of exercise for three to seven days after a concussion, the second finding significant reductions in cerebral blood flow in young athletes which persisted more than 30 days after injury.

An autopsy has revealed that former NHL star Rick Martin was suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated brain trauma.

Retiring from contact or collision sports due to concussion history can be emotionally difficult for both athlete and parent.  Athletes who  play other sports, have clear academic goals, high self-esteem, and supportive and responsible parents fare best.

Multiple concussions in high school athletes impair sustained attention and cognitive flexibility for a long period of time after the injury.  Youth athletes who have sustained two or more previous concussions but who do not report or demonstrate any physical, medical, or cognitive difficulties related to a history of concussion report significantly lower academic GPAs, and more concussion-related symptoms.

College-age athletes who had previously suffered a concussion performed more poorly on tests for verbal memory than those who had not, according to a new study presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine and 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine® in June 2011.

Student athletes with a multiple concussion history are significantly more likely to experience continuing concussion-related symptoms such as headache, balance problems, dizziness than their peers with a history of one or no concussions, finds a new study to be published in the journal Neurosurgery.

While concussion symptoms usually clear within a week to ten days, in some cases, an athlete's physical, cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioral symptoms persist, a condition known as post-concussion syndrome (PCS).