It’s understandable that severe traumatic brain injury can lead to brain damage, but what about mild traumatic brain injuries, which often result from common accidents such as motor vehicle accidents that happen at a slow speed?
According to a recent study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, it turns out that even mild traumatic brain injuries can cause damage to the brain. While most studies of brain injury focus on those who’ve suffered severe traumatic brain injuries, one of the study’s authors noted that the findings of this particular study were particularly important, as approximately 90 percent of all traumatic brain injuries are mild to moderate.
Traumatic brain injury typically results from a hard, violent blow to the head. It can also occur when an object, such as a bullet, penetrates the skull. A common type of traumatic brain injury is a concussion. Usually when the injury is a mild one, the person suffering the injury will remain conscious, or may momentarily lose consciousness.
The research study compared diffusion tensor imaging scans and the thinking and memory test results of 44 patients with mild traumatic brain injury and nine patients with moderate traumatic brain injury to the scans and test results of 33 people who did not suffer from a brain injury. Twenty-three of those suffering from brain injury underwent the same scans and the same thinking and memory tests a year later.
The diffusion tensor imaging scans, which are more sensitive in detecting brain damage than traditional MRI scans, showed that the patients with traumatic brain injuries had indeed suffered brain damage. These patients also scored 25 percent lower on the thinking and memory test.
The study found that a year later, while the thinking and memory test scores were the same for both the brain injury group and the non-brain injury group, those who had suffered from traumatic brain injury still showed signs of brain damage in certain areas of the brain.
If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of an accident, Bradley I. Kramer and his experienced legal team are here to help you obtain the compensation to which you are entitled. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.