ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- University of Rochester scientists say concussion patients with normal computed tomography brain scans might be suffering from molecular damage.
The researchers at the UR Medical Center said when nerve cells of concussion patients are studied the pattern of brain injury is identical for mild and severe concussions.
The study's lead author, Dr. Jeffrey Bazarian, a brain injury expert and emergency department attending physician, said a more accurate and rapid diagnostic test for concussion could lead to better treatment in the short term and might also prevent long-term neurological problems.
"Unfortunately, the widespread use of the CT scan as the primary tool for diagnosing head injuries has biased the way we think about concussions," Bazarian said. "For many people, a more significant axonal injury has occurred, and this underlies the problems they have with motor skills and memory, and may also be a risk factor for later development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases."
More than 1.2 million Americans seek emergency room care annually for mild head injuries.
The research appears in the February issue of the journal Academic Emergency Medicine.
