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Long-Term Effects of Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

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Concussions in Athletics

Abstract

There is a growing amount of research confirming that many cognitive, behavioral, and emotional symptoms may persist for months after a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), or a concussion. Studies that have detected long-term impairments include various neuropsychological tests and rating scales, as well as metabolic and radiological findings, all of which support the hypothesis that some individuals experience persistent disruption of the integrity of the neural fiber and metabolic balance, which lead to the disruption of cerebral functioning even after a mild TBI. As a result, a subgroup of concussed individuals continues to suffer from various mood changes, behavioral disturbances, concentration and memory problems, and other functional impairments.

When we are investigating a mild TBI in children, we need to consider not only the short-term cognitive, behavioral, and emotional impairments that they experience for the first weeks and months post TBI, but also the long-term consequences of metabolic and structural neurological changes that may cause a profound and protracted effect on child’s brain development. While some children show a remarkable recovery from a concussion, others continue to suffer from the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dysfunction, which prevents them from acquiring and developing more complex, higher-order skills in the first few years after the injury.

Such disruption of the developmental process produces more than just a suboptimal adaptation to the changing environment; it also brings out new challenges that children face as they grow and are expected to acquire and demonstrate new, advanced level skills, as projected for their peer group. Functional milestones for different age groups are different, and may include a stronger impulse control, the ability to read social cues, specific math skills, better sustained focus, and the ability to organize one’s thoughts or information details, to name a few. Thus, some effects of a pediatric concussion are not easily observed after the brain injury, yet they contribute to protracted academic, cognitive, and interpersonal struggles.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dr. Danov Neuropsychologist PC, 9511 Shore Road, Suite C, Brooklyn, NY, 11209, USA

    Rimma Danov Ph.D.

  2. Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA

    Rimma Danov Ph.D.

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  1. Rimma Danov Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Rimma Danov Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Professor, Director of Center for Sports Concussion Research and Services, Penn State - Hershey Medical College, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Semyon M. Slobounov

  2. Kalenak Professor in Orthopaedics, Director of Athletic Medicine, Penn State - Hershey Medical College, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Wayne J. Sebastianelli

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Danov, R. (2014). Long-Term Effects of Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. In: Slobounov, S., Sebastianelli, W. (eds) Concussions in Athletics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0295-8_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0295-8_16

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