The teenage brain is special. Less plastic than…

The teenage brain is special. Less plastic than a child's developing brain, but not yet with all of the executive functions of an adult origin . And that makes them more vulnerable to long-term effects of head injury, according to new research. Especially when it comes to sports-related concussions. In football, soccer, hockey or rugby, the top-front of the head usually perceive the brunt of the blow. And that region is where the all-important executive function areas are forming for teenagers: the frontal cortex. To learn more, researchers recruited 96 male sports participants ages nine through 26-- half of whom had had a disposed concussion in the past year. Using a battery of memory, attention, motor tests and EEG monitors, the researchers found that all of the concussed athletes showed reduced working memory. But the adherent had the most cognitive impairment, even if months had passed since their injury, and they reported feeling just fine. The findings are in the journal Brain Injury. So for high school athletes, a tough hit could lead to problems lasting longer than a bad headache.