While head injury has been linked for some time with age-related brain diseases, a new study has shown that head injuries can physically age the brain prematurely.

The study, led by Dr. James Cole of Imperial College London and published in the Annals of Neurology, scanned the brains of 99 people who had suffered brain injuries, some merely one month after the injury and others as many as 46 years later. When compared with the brain structure of healthy people the same age, the head injury victims’ brains appeared an average of five years older.

The study developed a computer model that measures the brain’s white and gray matter to arrive at the estimates, and the scientists are hopeful that it could be useful in the future to identify brain injury victims (and healthy people) who are at greater risk for neurodegenerative diseases later in life. Further study would be required to discover if there are links between “older” brains and such conditions, but if so, people who are at a greater risk could be enrolled in trials and maybe even prescribed pre-emptive treatments. It could be a breakthrough for not only understanding head injuries but also treating neurological disorders before they even surface.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.