Uncovering the Latest Breakthroughs in TBI Research: A New Understanding of Traumatic Brain Injury

A concussion patient visits a neurologist to discuss a long-term treatment plan.

While scientists used to believe that TBI was based on an isolated event, they now know that TBI can have longer ongoing effects than previously realized. White matter damage, also known as demyelination, affects the speed in which brain cells can communicate. This damage can continue for years after a TBI, and lead to subsequent multiple sclerosis. 

Processing speed, memory, and executive functioning capabilities are significant effects from damage to the white matter tract (Armstrong, 2024). 

Axon damage is also a central characteristic to TBI; it is a downstream effect of the brain injury. This axon damage can be seen through microhemorrhages in the brain (Armstrong, 2024). These are essentially small amounts of bleeding in the brain, which can be seen on scans of the brain utilizing a large magnet (MRI).