New Study Shows Extent of Damage from Mild to Moderate TBI

The damage severe traumatic brain injuries can cause is widely known. Victims of a severe TBI can suffer from many permanent cognitive changes, along with being in a vegetative state, and even death in the worst cases. All brain injuries should be treated with the highest caution, however, there is not much known about the severity of cognitive effects from mild traumatic brain injuries. That is, until recently. A new study shows the extent of damage mild traumatic brain injuries have on the brain.

It has recently been discovered that mild traumatic brain injury may have a profound impact on one’s cognitive behavior and brain matter. The study, published in the journal Neurology, was performed on 44 people with mild traumatic brain injury, nine people with moderate traumatic brain n injury, and a control group of 33 people who were healthy. Researchers from Newcastle University then examined the study participants using a version of the MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DTIs are used to determine the health of a patient’s brain tissue and are commonly used in the testing for acute ischemic stroke and severe brain trauma.

In the study, after administering the participants a DTI scan within one week of their injury, the researchers would then measure their cognitive ability with the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The GCS is a points-test used to test the participant’s responsiveness in the following areas: eye movement, verbal activity, and general movement. The higher the participants score, they healthier they are, the lower, the worse off they are.

The researchers found that when compared to the healthy control group, the participants who had suffered brain injuries’ DTI scans showed that there was damage to their brain’s white matter. It was also discovered that patients with mild to moderate brain injury had a 25 percent lower score than the healthy control group. The study also found that in a twelve month follow-up visit from the patients who had brain injuries, a DTI brain scan showed that some areas of the brain had returned to normal while others had not.

This study helps us develop a better understanding of mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries, and while DTIs may not be the most common scanning method for smaller injuries, when combined with the GCS, it helps give the full extent of the mild injury’s damage.

CONTACT TAMPA TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY LAWYERS DOLMAN LAW GROUP

As this study shows, even mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries can cause significant damage to white brain matter, which can affect the brain’s cognitive processes of language and memory. Mild traumatic brain injury can occur even without a strike to the head, and often happens in car accidents.

If you or a loved one suffered a mild, moderate, or severe brain injury as a result of being involved in an accident due to negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for the damages you have suffered. Contact our experienced team of traumatic brain injury lawyers today at 727-451-6900 for a free and confidential consultation.

Dolman Law Group
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33765
727-451-6900

http://www.dolmanlaw.com/practice-area/brain-injury/