Concussions and Children & Teens

An NIH-funded study that monitors children’s recovery from brain injury found that because a child’s brain is continuing to develop until about age 20, any injury to the brain increases the risk of long-term cognitive deficits. These deficits may not become evident until later in the child's development. The study also found increasing evidence that full recovery after concussion may not extend to all children, especially when more complex cognitive functions are considered.