Some West Virginia residents may be some of the 2 to 5 million throughout the nation who are living with a disability that was caused by a traumatic brain injury. The number of people who are taken to the emergency room after suffering a traumatic brain injury has risen by 70 percent over the past ten years. Depending on the severity of the injury, individuals can be left with severe medical issues.

It is well-known that traumatic brain injuries can cause a person to suffer communication issues, develop anxiety and depression and even put individuals at risk for developing dementia later in life. However, the mechanism for the causes of complications that occurred later in life were not known.

A study conducted by researchers at Imperial College London used PET scans and MRI scans to look at the brains of nine people who had suffered traumatic brain injuries between 11 months and 17 years prior. The scans revealed that amyloid plaques had developed. When the scans of these individuals were compared to scans from 10 individuals with Alzheimer’s and nine healthy individuals. It was found that the brains of individuals who had suffered traumatic brain injuries had plaques in the same places as those who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

A person who suffers brain damage following a traumatic injury may have complications immediately, but some may develop months or even years after the injury occurred. While TBIs are commonly associated with football and other contact sports, they can also be caused by car accidents or sudden falls. A person who has incurred such an injury due to another party’s negligence may want to have the help of an attorney in pursuing damages from the at-fault party.