Concussions

Question 1

What did hippocrates describe a concussion as?

Answer 1

A commotion of the brain as a result of a blow to the head, leading to a loss of speech hearing and sight

Question 2

How did Rhazes describe a concussion?

Answer 2

cerebral concussion as a transient loss of function with no physical damage

Question 3

Harrison Martland wrote a paper that suggested what?

Answer 3

Punch drunk suggested that mental and behaviour problems that developed in boxers were a result of multiple concussions (did not do autopsys though)

Question 4

What did Bennet Omalu do?

Answer 4

First described and named Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) from his study of the brains of deceased NFL players. THis term has now replaced Punch drunk and Dementia pugilistica

Question 5

J A N corsellis coined what term and did what?

Answer 5

Dementia pugilistica

he found visible damage in the brains of 15 dead boxers

Question 6

What is a concussion?

Answer 6

No universally definition, but we can define it here as an injury to the brain that results in the immediate and temporary impairment of brain function

Question 7

What causes concussions?

Answer 7

Blows that cause the brain to impact the inside of the skull

Rotational blows can twist neurons

Head does not need to hit anything to cause one

Question 8

What are the symptoms of a concussion?

Answer 8

Nausea, trouble sleeping, headache fatigue

Question 9

What is the damage that can be done by a concussion?

Answer 9

Stretching and shearing of axons

leakage of ions across membranes

release of TAU proteins and the acccumulation of TAU protein tangles

damage to the BBB and the release of the brain protein S100B into blood

Reduced blood flow to brain

Question 10

What is released into the blood when there is damage to the BBB?

Answer 10

S100B

Question 11

What does TAU do?

Answer 11

It stabilizes the microtubules, but when a concussion happens it can disrupt the highly organized function and disrupt the signal of TAU and form tangles

Question 12

What can S100B do when it is released into the blood?

Answer 12

antibodies will apear in the blood and then make it into the brain and case damage

Question 13

What are some proteins that are found in the blood after brain injury?

Answer 13

UCLA1 - 2days

GFAP- 1 week

Question 14

Long term consequences of concussion?

(CTE) is the damage temporary?

Answer 14

Symptoms from a few days to a few weeks- will stop after a few weeks, but if you have
Multiple concussions it will cause larger effects (CTE)

Question 15

Single concussion vs. Multiple concussions

Answer 15

When it develops into chronic CTE the real effects wont happen for around 8-10 years
Symptoms - memory prob, insomnia, head ache, behavioural problems, dementia

Question 16

What does this mean for the future of sport?

Answer 16

Expensive lawsuit against the NFL

death of football and other contact sports?

Question 17

Prevention of concussion?

Answer 17

To some extent, Air bags, helmets,

Talk about that boxing gloves and football helmets actually made it worse cause you can go longer

Less full contact practice time

Question 18

are we becoming more risk averse as a society, or are we simply responding rationally to new information?

Answer 18

Roaming distance of 8 year old was approx. 800 meters but the grandfather could go 10 Km