Head impacts are common in young people, especially in sports like football. Most head impacts are not serious and don’t affect the brain. However, larger or repeated impacts can cause injury to the brain. Some people get better from such injuries quickly. Others have problems that last a long time. At the moment, it is hard to tell early on how well someone will recover. This makes it difficult to provide the right support straight away.
The effect of head injuries on function and behaviour
The brain controls everything from our movement to behaviour and emotions, so when it gets injured, it can cause many different problems. These problems can last for weeks, months, or even years, depending on how bad the injury is [1].
One of the most common problems after a head injury is trouble with attention. This means people might get distracted more easily, especially soon after the injury. For example, they might struggle to follow instructions or lose track of the football game. Thankfully, most people’s attention gets better within 3 to 6 months [1].
Head injuries can also make it harder to plan, organise, and solve problems. These skills are called 'executive function' and are also important in football. For example, making quick decisions or guessing what another player will do may become difficult. Such problems with executive function can last for a long time [1]. However, if the injury is mild, these skills often recover after two years.
Head injuries can also affect your general health. After a concussion, sports participants may be up to 2.5 times more likely to get injured again [2]. A second injury can happen in the years afterwards and can affect any part of the body. The reason behind the higher risk of injury is not yet understood. It could be because the brain is not completely healed. However, loss of fitness during the rest period may also be to blame. Either way, this makes injury prevention strategies even more important after a head injury.
How Brain Scans Can Help Us Understand Injury
Detailed brain scans using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can find injuries that cannot be seen on typical hospital scans. Standard MRIs are good at spotting big problems like swelling or bruises in the brain. However, our more detailed MRI scans can see even smaller changes. For example, tiny breaks in the brain's cells, chemical changes, or tiny bleeds. Finding these hidden injuries could help explain why some people recover better or worse than others.
From 2024 to 2027, we are running an MRI study. We are following young people aged 11 to 18 who have head injuries, mostly from sports. We scan their brains soon after the injury and again six months later. We also ask them to fill out questionnaires and do some tasks. This helps us see how their symptoms and thinking skills change over time. We also do the same in people who have never had a head injury. This helps us understand what a brain without injury looks like.
We hope this research will help young people with head injuries get the support they need to recover fully, and get back to playing football sooner.
If you are interested in taking part in the study, you can contact us via: Izabelle.lovgren@ndcn.ox.ac.uk
References:
- Goh MS, Looi DS, Goh JL, Sultana R, Goh SS, Lee JH, Chong SL. The impact of traumatic brain injury on neurocognitive outcomes in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. 2021 Aug 1;92(8):847-53.
- Reneker JC, Babl R, Flowers MM. History of concussion and risk of subsequent injury in athletes and service members: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Musculoskeletal science and practice. 2019 Jul 1;42:173-85.
Cover Image: Omar Ramadan via Unsplash