Study: Older adults with history of head injuries show decreased cognitive function
March 11 (UPI) -- Adults who suffer head injuries in their 50s or younger produce lower-than-expected scores on cognitive tests at age 70, a study published Thursday by the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology found. Although head injuries do not appear to contribute to Alzheimer's disease-related brain damage, they may make people more vulnerable to dementia symptoms, the researchers said. Advertisement Seventy-year-olds who had experienced a serious head injury 15 or more years earlier on average scored 46 on 93-point cognitive tests for attention and quick thinking, lower than the 48 for those without a history of head injuries, the data showed. They also had 1% smaller brain volumes and differences in brain structure, which may explain the subtle cognitive differences compar...
