A new study has found that young adults diagnosed with a brain injury or concussion can experience long-term cognitive changes and impaired brain activity, so if you have been diagnosed with a brain injury or concussion and are seeking compensation for all the negative effects of your medical condition, you will definitely find this one interesting.
We asked our Honolulu brain injury attorney from Kurzban, Kurzban, Tetzeli and Pratt, P.A. – recovery law center Hawaii to review the findings of the study.
The study, which has proven permanent cognitive changes in young adults with brain injuries, was published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, according to the National Law Review. In the study, researchers focused on young adults aged from 18 to 24 who have been previously diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury or concussion.
Long-lasting cognitive changes in young adults with brain injuries
Researchers divided participants of the study into two groups. In the first group, they put participants with no history of diagnosed concussions or brain injuries. In the second group, they put young adults ranging in age from 18 to 24 who had been diagnosed with at least two concussions with the most recent one being at 30 days prior to testing.
As part of the study, the participants were asked to perform two different tasks one after another. These two tasks involved finding differences in colors and shapes. Nothing too difficult, right? But turns out, the participants who had been previously diagnosed with a brain injury or concussion had a lower performance rate than the other group.
Our experienced brain injury lawyer in Honolulu explains that participants’ cognitive changes were tested while the two groups performed these tasks. In particular, researchers monitored the participants’ working memory and processing speed as well as changes in the brain waves. The results were astonishing.
The long-term impact of a brain injury
Among the elements that were monitored as part of the testing included the ability to concentrate and control attention, performance, flexibility, stability, and working memory. These two tasks showed that the participants in the brain injury group performed worse than the other group because the former were less accurate during the task-switching exercise.
“Also, it appears that processing performance was lower among participants with the brain injury,” says our Hawaii brain injury attorney, who has reviewed the findings of the study. In other words, these findings suggest not only that those diagnosed with a concussion or brain injury will have to develop a treatment plan to deal with those long-lasting cognitive changes, but will also be able to increase the value of their personal injury claim.
We bet you did not take into account the long-term cognitive impact of your brain injury when calculating the value of your personal injury settlement. So if you were led to believe that all of your cognitive functions will be back to normal within weeks or months after the traumatic event in which you sustained a brain injury, you may want to reassess your claim.
If you have been diagnosed with a brain injury or concussion, speak to an experienced brain injury attorney in Hawaii to determine the value of your case and choose the best legal strategy to recover damages. Contact Kurzban, Kurzban, Tetzeli and Pratt, P.A., to schedule a free consultation today. Call our offices at 808-736-5035 today.