Researchers affiliated with the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered why some children recover faster than others from traumatic brain injuries. According to the researchers, myelin, the protective fatty tissue that surrounds the brain, has some significance in determining the likelihood for recovery in children.

Researchers assigned cognitive tasks to 32 children aged 8 to 19, each with moderate to severe brain injuries, and tested the results against 31 healthy children. To make comparisons, the researchers tested the processing speeds and short-term memories of both groups.

Evidence showed that children with less damage to the fatty tissue surrounding the brain had comparable results to the healthier children, while those with greater damage had a cognitive processing speed three times slower. Results from the study could be used to help children recover from brain injuries, and to identify those who will need the most help during rehabilitation.

Can Children Recover From Brain Injuries?

Centers for Disease Control statistics show that children aged 4 and under are among the demographic most likely to sustain brain injuries, making studies such as this one highly valuable. According to the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), very young children with brain injuries might not initially show symptoms, such as cognitive or behavioral problems.

If the data found in the UCLA study is correct, it suggests that children are more likely to recover depending on how much damage was done to the fatty tissue surrounding the brain.

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