carmell,

As I said, <You may achieve an "appearance" of a full functional recovery but your brain will never be the same.> The research was done many years ago (1970's). The concussed brain can be identified with a variety of tests. The PASAT is the first to do such. It is the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test. The previously concussed brain will show up in the results. The stressed concussed brain will be even more evident.

A qEEG in good hands can also indicate the organic damage.

By stressed, it can be emotional stress, physical stress (fatigue, sleepiness, fever) and bio-chemical stress such as high altitude, lack of food energy, and other chemical (alcohol etc.) stressors.

It is fabulous that you feel 100%.

The cognitive and memory symptoms can be quite serious ( especially in the short term) without causing a catastrophic problem with academic performance. This causes some serious confusion in the neuro-psych industry. NP's have a hard time understanding how someone with serious memory and cognitive dysfunctions can have a high IQ.

Both of my neuro-psych reports try to discount any concussion because I still test with a very high IQ ( top 2%). They try to blame the memory and cognitive dysfunctions on depression. The truth is that the divergent scores are directly indicative of an organic cause rather than emotional cause.

You may not have suffered the memory and cognitive symptoms at a level that effected your academic performance. Also, the 10 years between your concussions and the early age of your first concussion lessens the residual effects of it. The brain can do a lot more 'rewiring' at 7 than it can at 17.

btw, I would have easily been in the running for valedictorian honors if my concussion year was left out of my GPA. I recovered to the same high grades for my junior and senior year (all A's freshman, junior and senior years taking Honors courses ). Now, honors courses are called AP courses and qualify for extra GPA points. I did not get any extra points for taking sophomore courses as a freshman, junior courses as a sophomore, etc. By my senior year, I has run out of courses to take but my school did not allow early graduation.

I have a friend who was comatose for 3 months and required two years to learn to walk and talk. He still struggles with many cognitive and memory issues but plays Backgammon at a Master level. He has some academic skills that are outstanding and others that are seriously limited.

A common term for those with PCS is the "invisible wounded" because our struggles are not obvious to the untrained eye. Many of use have extraordinary coping skills that allow us to appear fully functioning.

Most people can not understand what struggles I have but my wife sees them loud and clear. She knows my pre-morbid functions. She still sees me as extremely gifted intellectually but knows I have serious limitations. Many with mTBI think they have no residual symptoms but those around them often see those symptoms on a regular basis.

There are many spouses in our Brain Injury Support Group whose spouses do not think they have any symptoms. Their spouses come for the support and to learn how to deal with and live with the mTBI/PCS person who refuses to acknowledge their symptoms.

Again, I am glad you feel 100%. I often felt 100% too but my family still noticed a difference.