Image: Ryan Reid
Concussion, the most common among traumatic brain injuries, which occurs 1.7 million times a year in the U.S., represents a major public-health problem. It occurs when there is a sudden acceleration or deceleration of the head, a process depicted here in this animation.
A blow can produce a brief loss of consciousness, headaches and impaired cognition, among other symptoms. Symptoms can last for days or sometimes longer. And a person who experience one risks another and may find recovery takes longer.
Scientists continue to learn more about the nefarious consequences of repeated concussions. In the February issue of Scientific American, writer Jeffrey Bartholet details in “The Collision Syndrome evidence for yet another neurodegenerative disorder that can result from concussions.
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7 Comments
Add CommentBan American Football now. For the children.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with QuantumCualifax. We can make better helmets, but we cannot control the law of motion (conservation of momentum).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFootball won't be banned anytime soon so better helmets are the way to go. A crushable liner that is easily replaced (in seconds) should be mandatory. That is the only way to slow the motion in a controlled way barring some other technical advancement. And make the helmets bigger to accommodate the liners. We and the players will get used to it. Linemen could be exempt.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThose who, with the best of intentions, propose to ban sports, really need to do a complete analysis of the sports' pro's and con's. In a perfect world of course there would be no concussions, and we should do everything to prevent those and other serious injuries, but depriving millions of children of activities which dramatically improve physical fitness and overall health, bring important social skills and friendships, build self-confidence, ... is probably over-reaction. And while some athletes might be able to achieve similar results in non-contact sports, others will not. There is a reason why the sports we have today are what they are, and there is a reason why generations of boys have played sports like football, rugby, Aussie rules and so on where violent physical interaction is a huge aspect and the risk of injuries is present.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are two ways to keep the benefits and reduce the serious negative consequences - one is better technology (e.g. helmets) and the other is better rules (for example the rules about how a player with a concussion needs to be handled in the following weeks, or the ban on spear-tackling).
It is only in the past few years that the consequences of concussions have been well understood, and in fairness, football at all levels has rushed to implement major new safety guidelines.
When the head plus helmet is made to accelerate or decelerate rapidly the brain moves relative to the skull no matter how good the helmet is. It is that relative motion and associated collision of the brain with the skull that can and does damage the brain. That is not going to change with better helmets and football players will experience serious problems as they get older. The players make that calculation. They should not. The opnly solution is that football should be banned. Americans would be better off and healthier not being able to watch football or other dangerous sports like boxing on TV.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGene, of course it's true what you say the brain moves relative to the skull. That's the whole idea for crushable liners; to slow down the skull over it being stopped cold with the harder pads presently in use. It's the same concept behind making car frames 'crushable' in impacts: they absorb more of the force and protect the interior of the car. Someone else can pursue the concept. I have other products i'm working on. This needs to simply get out there as far as i'm concerned.
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Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI believe given the tragic sudden onset of dementia years after the football injuries, the root cause is not the injuries, but the invasion of one of several pathogens either viral, bacterial or fungal or a combination. It is also possible for the patients are suffering from what is referred to Type III diabetes.
It is my opinion, considerable evidence points to either HSV1(cold sore virus) and other Herpes viruses, Borrelia burgdorferi or other spirochaetes*, Chlamydia pneumonia (fungus not sexual transmitted) as the fundamental cause of the degeneration observed in Alzheimer's Disease which has a similar pathology discussed in your article beta amyloid and tau tangles.
What I have said about invasion of pathogens is included in respected journals and scientific reports all over the Internet especially in foreign countries.
For example, if you go on the Internet and Google [Alzheimer's, HSV1, scholarly] and explore you will find hundreds of articles posted on PubMed, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, PNAS, and other journals. Unfortunate you will also see a lot of junk science. You will also see a lot supplements (DHA, curcumin, glutathione, etc.) which help slow, but without intervention for the fundamental cause, will not stop the disease.
Here are a few references. Dr. David Perlmutter is highly respected and clinically treats for HSV1 and Alzheimer's. He has an excellent book on the subject Power Up Your Brain by David Perlmutter MD and Alberto Villoldo Ph.D. (I skip the shaman's view.) Others are studying the bacteria and fungus believed to cause AD.
There is also considerable scientific literature on what is called Type III diabetes. Check Suzanne DeLaMonte. She is a center point for research and found at http://research.brown.edu/myresearch/Suzanne_delaMonte. She is amazing respecting both the science and the hope offered by nutritional supplements.
The doctors studying the patients in your article should try to intervene. I believe if the disease has not progressed beyond the point of recovery, there is hope. I believe the disease can be arrested and multiple treatments applied to recover the patients.
If you are interested in other references or fundamental articles, I would be pleased to help.
* A bacteria spirochaetes (also spelled spirochetes) causes Lyme disease. There are many other spirochaetes causing brain diseases and other systemic diseases.