University of Michigan Study says brain injuries can cause brain to age more quickly

A recent University of Michigan study says that concussions and other head impacts may accelerate the natural aging process of the brain.

Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology and the U-M Health System found that brain injury damages brain communication and causes function within the brain to deteriorate more quickly than it would in someone who has never suffered any type of head trauma.

The study proposes that brain injuries may lead to certain health problems, but researchers are still working to discover exactly how that happens.

The University of Michigan study “Cognitive Decline and Aging: The Role of Concussive and Subconcussive Impacts” appears in the July issue of journal Exercise and Sports Sciences Reviews.

In the study, researchers examined college students with and without a history of concussions and found that brain activity can continue to decline for six years after an initial injury in those who have suffered concussions.

To examine the effects of concussions on brain activity, researchers took images of participants' brains as they performed tasks on a computer.   The brains of the uninjured group of participants showed greater electrical brain activity than those with brain injury history.  

Researchers also discovered changes in walking manners, balance, and the brain’s electrical activity related to brain communication.  

About 3.8 million concussions are recorded each year in the U.S. from sports-related injuries.  Concussions are not limited to a direct hit to the head. They can develop after any swift,  violent movement of the brain within the skull, including a car accident or slipping on ice.  

“The last thing we want is for people to panic,” said Steven Broglio, assistant professor of Kinesiology and director of the Neurotrauma Research Laboratory.  “Just because you’ve had a concussion does not mean your brain will age more quickly or you’ll get Alzheimer’s.”

There is no general test to diagnose a concussion.   Researchers say detecting concussions are difficult because signs and symptoms can take days to appear.  

Researchers believe the result of impact is a cumulative effect and the risk for health problems later in life increases the more a person suffers head injuries.

“What we don’t know is it you had a single concussion in high school, does that mean you will get dementia at age 50?” said Broglio.   “Clinically, we don’t see that.  What we think is it will be a dose response. ”

 “If you played soccer and sustained some head impacts and maybe one concussion, then you may have a little risk,” said Broglio.   “If you went on and played in college and took more head [shots] and sustained two more concussions, you’re probably at a little bigger risk.   Then if you play professionally for a few years, and take more hits to the head, you increase the risk even more.”

The University of Michigan Health System says brain aging is similar to a highway.   They say signaling pathways in the brain runs smoothly and quickly as traffic on a new five-lane highway.   As it ages, the asphalt deteriorates and lanes become bumpy, causing traffic to slow down.

Likewise, as the brain ages, the brain pathways break down and can’t transfer electrical signals as rapidly as before.   Concussive and other brain injuries may cause potholes in the ‘brain’s highway.’   This causes the decline of brain activity found in the university study, slowing down information traffic in the brain.

Researches plan to conduct a second phase of study where they will examine people in their 20s, 40s, and 60s including those who have sustained concussions during high school sports.   They hope to discover the increasing effect of concussion based on a person’s age.  

Those interested in participating in the study can email neurotraumalab.umich@gmail.com