The increased use of glucose may be a sign that the cells are repairing themselves after injury, or that their ability to function is diminished and they need more energy to perform the same work, Linn said. Regardless of the mechanism, they are behaving abnormally, he noted. After three to four months, the areas of abnormal activity had enlarged somewhat and were correlated with impaired attention span, verbal memory, motor function and information processing, but not with post-concussion symptoms, findings showed. The greater the abnormality, the worse the patient's performance. Linn said the only treatment for mild traumatic brain injury is education and patience.
People just have to wait it out.
Patients and health-care professionals need to be educated that mild brain injuries definitely produce brain abnormalities that lead to cognitive and emotional symptoms, Linn said. Patients need to know they aren't going crazy, and that what they are experiencing may be a normal part of the recovery process. The researchers currently are conducting further research using PET scans to study brain function following brain injury.