A concussion’s damage could persist in an athlete’s brain for at least a year, long after they have rejoined their sport, a new study indicates.
The study, published on Wednesday in the journal Neurology, found college athletes had brain changes that remained visible in brain scans up to a year after they had been cleared to return to play.
“The presence of significant, long-lasting brain changes after injury reinforces concerns about the consequences of repeated concussions, and to what extent these effects accumulate over time,” lead researcher Nathan Churchill said in a news release as quoted by UPI.
187 college athletes were examined for the study, 25 of whom had suffered a concussion during regular season play in basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, rugby, soccer and volleyball.
Those with a concussion were compared to 27 athletes who had not suffered a concussion.
These athletes had MRI scans done before their seasons began as well as five days, one to three months, and a year after returning to play following a concussion.
The players showed signs of brain injury in their MRI scans taken an average five days after concussion, when they’d been cleared to play, results of the research show. And the signs of the brain injury lasted for up to one year later.
“This is crucial because early return to play and incomplete recovery could have serious short-term and long-term consequences, especially in youth,” the editorialists wrote.
