Brain Injury Study Looks at Acceleration in Aging Process

October 07, 2012

In many personal injury cases, the biggest challenge is proving the full extent of a client's injuries to ensure that he or she receives sufficient damages. When the resulting harm is a brain injury caused by a car accident, truck accident or other crash, that process often requires expert medical opinion and thorough assessment of the injury victim's injuries and progress since the accident.

Medical understanding of how the brain works has advanced steadily in recent decades, helping doctors better understand the long-term effects of head trauma. A recent study from kinesiology experts at the University of Michigan published in Exercise and Sports Sciences Reviews has concluded that brain injuries may accelerate the brain's natural aging process.

The authors examined a series of subjects broken down into two basic categories: those who had a medical record of concussions and those who had never been diagnosed with a head injury. They then compared images of brain activity captured as the subjects performed certain exercises on a computer.

The comparison showed that uninjured participants had greater electrical activity in the brain than previously injured subjects. Other measurements that favored those with no brain injury history included balance and electrical brain activity relating to communication.

While the current study focused on college students, the researchers will extend their methodology to other age groups. The authors note that concussions have long been understood as a transient injury without persistent effects, but claim that their work demonstrates the existence of changes to the abilities of those who have suffered concussions but are otherwise healthy.

If they are correct in their hypothesis that concussions (and even subconcussive head impacts) can accelerate the aging process of the human brain, many brain injury victims may have in the past underestimated the extent of harm they suffered. From personality changes to early onset dementia, brain function can have a major effect on a person's ability to earn a living and ultimately pay for necessary medical care.

Helping Brain Injury Victims Identify Their Future Needs

A personal injury attorney can help an injury victim and family members understand the legal issues behind evaluating the harm that a person suffered. From expert medical opinions and ongoing diagnosis to a frank assessment of a person's long-term earning prospects and other potentially lost opportunities, many complex details make up accident litigation.

Article provided by Killian & Davis, P.C.
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