Teens feel long-term effect of head hits

The teenage brain is special. Less plastic than a child’s developing brain, but not yet with all of the executive functions of an adult noggin.

And that makes them more vulnerable to long-term effects of head injury, especially when it comes to sports-related concussions, according to research.

In soccer, hockey, or rugby, the top-front of the head usually receives the brunt of the blow. That region is where the all-important executive function areas are forming for teenagers: The frontal cortex.