For years, I have been trying to get the word out that head injuries, even mild ones, can cause serious damage to the brain and can change your life forever.

After viewing more than 54,000 brain scans, it has become very clear to me that what many people think of as mild head trauma can have a significantly negative effect on people’s brains and can significantly change their lives and their ability to look and feel their best.

Studies show that people who have suffered brain injuries, even mild ones, often experience emotional, behavioral, or cognitive problems. When you have trouble thinking or reasoning, you can’t make the best decisions for your body.

Suffering a brain injury is also associated with a higher incidence of alcoholism and drug abuse””both of which lead to premature aging, possible weight problems, potentially devastating health conditions, and homelessness.

Many times, these injuries go unnoticed, in part because mental health professionals never look at brain function. And CT and MRI scans, which show the structure of the brain rather than activity in the brain, may appear to be normal even when there is damage.

A new study in the journal Radiology shows how important other types of brain imaging can be in diagnosing potentially life-changing brain injuries. The researchers used diffusion tensor imaging, a different type of MRI, to determine that even mild head trauma can seriously injure the brain

The research team evaluated 20 emergency room patients who had been involved in motor vehicle accidents or falls to determine if there was a brain injury. They also performed imaging on 20 control subjects.

They found that the diffusion tensor imaging technique revealed problems in the prefrontal cortex that resulted in impaired executive function.

Imaging the brain is critical in the case of head trauma. Even more important is preventing brain injuries. Protect your brain.