Page 403 - Total War on PTSD_FINAL

long ago the primary injury occurred. All these variables have an influence on why patients can heal at varying rates.
Age is certainly a determining factor. The very young and very old may have a harder time recovering from a brain injury than a healthy, twenty-five year-old man. A child's brain is still forming. All the connections between different parts of the brain are still developing as well, and sections relegated to certain responsibilities like the visual cortex, hearing, memory, spatial awareness, and risk assessment are all developing at different times. A child or teen’s neck muscles are not as developed as well, and leave the head more susceptible to brain injury. The head is large and heavy and needs a strong support. Without one, the head can be struck or strike an object, and a weak neck is left nearly useless to ameliorate the effects of the blow.
The brain also takes a while to mature. The last part of the brain to mature is the prefrontal cortex — the area of the brain that controls executive functioning, or how we control ourselves to make logical, good decisions. The male brain doesn't really finish this growth process until somewhere around twenty-five, believe it or not. Then, of course, as we get older, the brain becomes more fragile again. The neck weakens. The blood vessels become compromised and more susceptible to damage if an injury like a blow occurs.
Gender is another variable in concussion. Girls and women suffer concussion symptoms at a higher rate than boys and men. While a flood of attention has focused the spotlight on NFL players and helped create awareness of the health risks of concussion, girls’ and women’s sports are being overlooked. In many popular sports, boys are not the ones most likely afflicted by concussions, girls are too. Across all sports played by both
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