ADHD and TBI

A study involving over 6000 adolescents and young adults athletes of high school age showed that the athletes with pre-injury ADHD reported a higher rate of concussions than athletes without ADHD. Researchers were unable to determine whether the students were more susceptible to injury, have a lower threshold, or a different recovery rate than those without such a history.

Once again, this study confirms the well-known observation that individuals who go into a TBI with preexisting difficulties such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, or any other brain dysfunction, have a worse outcome. This may be due to “glial activation” wherein these individual glial cells are already activated and are pathologically activated after a TBI.