Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIS) are quite common among adolescents, with around 2 million concussions occurring in children each year (Sciortino et al., 2025). Many mTBIs are attributed to high-contact sports like tackle football or hockey, but concussions can occur in diverse contexts, such as when one slips on ice following a late-night dance rehearsal… true story. No matter the cause of injury, significant mTBI prevalence rates among younger populations highlight the need for in-depth concussion research, both to understand neurophysiological impacts and to inform treatment protocols.
In a recent seminar presentation at Loyola University Chicago, I had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Krizman discuss her research on mTBIs and the associative implications for auditory processing. Her work assessed responses to the fundamental frequency (F0) of speech in concussed and non-concussed children using frequency following responses (FFR). Those in the concussion group demonstrated impaired F0 neural coding and overall sound processing that affected their interpretations of pitch and speech (Kraus et al., 2016). It was also found that impairments lessened throughout the recovery period, correlating with reduced concussion symptoms and pinpointing concussions as a root cause for the sound processing deficits. Of particular relevance was the finding that FFR can predict concussions in children, indicating its potential for application in clinical environments to address subjectivity in concussion diagnoses.
Dr. Krizman’s work showcases evolving understandings surrounding mTBIs and their immediate impacts on developing brains, thus, I became curious about other longer-term implications. Indeed, more recent research alludes to impacts beyond the recovery period. In another study by Obenaus et al., researchers induced concussions in young mice and monitored them throughout their lifespan. Diffusion tensor imaging revealed that, long after injury, mice in the concussion groups had impaired white matter development in the corpus callosum, the structure that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain (Obenaus et al., 2025). This was indicated by plateauing fractional anisotropy (FA) measures across different time points in concussion groups compared to controls. With the finding that dysregulation compounded over time, contributing to deficits late in life, Dr. Andre Obenaus asserted that the study “reinforces the importance of long-term monitoring” for those who sustain an mTBI (Pittalwala, 2025).
Taken together, research by Dr. Krizman and the more recent study conducted by Dr. Obenaus and colleagues contribute to the growing body of concussion research, articulating potential for both short-term and long-lasting consequences. Despite these understandings, however, current treatment initiatives often fail to account for manifold post-concussion deficits. One integrative study reported high inconsistency in follow-up visits, often resulting from healthcare inaccessibility and lack of standardized mTBI care; delays in treatment also made children three times more likely to develop persistent post-concussive symptoms (Sciortino et al., 2025). With evidence that mTBIs pose both immediate and enduring neural effects, questions regarding next steps arise. How can we blend current research, public policy, and healthcare initiatives to ensure that adolescents receive adequate post-mTBI care?
References
Kraus, N., Thompson, E. C., Krizman, J., Cook, K., White-Schwoch, T., & LaBella, C. R. (2016). Auditory biological marker of concussion in children. Scientific Reports, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep39009
Obenaus, A., Noarbe, B. P., Lee, J. B., Panchenko, P. E., Tong, F., Noarbe, S. D., Bottini, C., Lee, Y. C., & Badaut, J. (2025). Progressive lifespan modifications in the corpus callosum following a single concussion in juvenile male mice monitored by diffusion MRI. Experimental Neurology, 394, 115455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2025.115455
Pittalwala, I. (2026, February 25). Childhood concussions may trigger long-term brain changes. https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/09/25/childhood-concussions-may-trigger-long-term-brain-changes
Sciortino, A., VanGraafeiland, B., & Mudd, S. S. (2026). Barriers and recommendations for concussion follow-up in pediatric athletes: An integrative review. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 22(1), 105563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2025.105563
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