By Dr. Brian McDonough

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - There’s new information in The Journal Science that soldiers who are exposed to roadside bomb blasts and athletes who have suffered concussions repeatedly over time seem to show the same long lasting changes to brain cells.

This research is ongoing but it clearly shows there is a relationship. Head trauma that doesn’t knock a person unconscious can still kill brain cells and it can damage the architecture of the brain.

This is very important because it could lead to foggy thinking and poor memory. We’ve seen it in soldiers, we’ve seen it in football players, and clearly more research needs to be done looking at concussions, the short term and long term effects.