The Long-Term Implications Of Concussions And Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s Disease is one of the scariest afflictions that addles the mind. Despite constant research into the disease that robs our loved ones of comprehension, memory, and awareness, we as a society still know so little about how Alzheimer’s develops and the far-reaching affects that it may have.
According to the Alzheimers Association, 5 million Americans are affected by the disease, and nearly every 66 seconds, someone is diagnosed with the traumatic condition.
In our never-ending quest to truly understand the complexities of the human mind, researchers from Boston University have concluded a study on the correlation between concussions, and the possible onset of Alzheimer’s.
In a sample study of 160 war veterans with an average age of 32, a team of researchers led by Jasmeet Hayes, as reported by the Boston Herald, found that those who had suffered from head trauma scored lower on memory tests.
However, Hayes specifically clarifies that just suffering from a concussion does not necessarily imply the risk of Alzheimers,

“Most people go back to baseline functions within three to six months, but there’s a segment who don’t go back to normal functioning and will later in life develop something like Alzheimer’s, and we’re trying to figure out who those people might be.”

The subject of head trauma in sports has consistently been investigated and concluded that repeated impact can effect brain capacity and create behavioral changes in athletes. CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), being one of the specific brain diseases in the news recently.
However, the focus of Hayes’ investigation laid primarily in the singular instances of head trauma over an extended period of time and plans on expanding the test pool to further see the long-term effects of concussions.
In the immaculate words of Tony Hawk “F. Alzheimers.”