In a Canadian study, researchers found that a single concussion can lead to memory lose, slower reflex times and attention problems 30 years later. "This study shows that the effects of sports concussions in early adulthood persist beyond 30 years post-concussion and that it can cause cognitive and motor function alterations as the athletes age," Louis De Beaumont of the University of Montreal, who led the study, said in a statement.
The study involved nineteen former college-level athletes, most of whom played hockey, who had sustained a concussion 30 years or more prior while the remaining 21 involved in the study had not. These former athletes answered questions on their general health and took multiple memory and attention tests. The concussion sufferers did more poorly on the tests leading De Beaumont to suggest "athletes should be better informed about the cumulative and persistent effects of sports concussion on mental and physical processes so that they know about the risks associated with returning to their sport."
Although the study only involved testing athletes, people in automobile accidents or involved in a slip and fall, among other possible personal injury situations, can also suffer concussions. With the results of this test, we now know that a concussion may impact the rest of the sufferer's life.
