Post Concussions Personal Statement

Female athletes tend to have a higher rate of brain injury than their male counterparts

through the back of my mind, too many to count. The one and only most significant

Concussions are complex cerebral injuries that result in a series of metabolic events within the brain. The changes are seen in the fragile neuronal homeostatic balances where changes in the elevations of glutamate and potassium have been identified. The effects of concussions have also been seen in the functioning of the brain rather than in the structure of the brain itself. Being identified as mild traumatic brain injuries, occurring due to a bump or jolt to head or neck, concussions can result in both short-term and long-term effects. Although most individuals are able to recover from these head injuries, a small but relevant portion of individuals have been found to suffer from chronic long-term effects including early onsets of Alzheimer disease, clinical depression and other cognitive complications. The occurrence of a secondary concussion during the recovery phase of a primary concussion, also recognized as the second impact syndrome, has been shown to increase the risk for long-term effects of cerebral and neurological failure as the neurons have become incapable of experiencing normal functions after an initial traumatic brain injury. The recoveries from these initial concussions are critical to prevent the onset of long-term effects.

The media and fans fostered a heightened awareness for sport concussion as they learned of high-profile professional athletes who attributed their retirements to repetitive concussions. Additionally, postconcussion syndrome was identified in players who retired for other reasons in the months and years after their injuries. As a result, the current research concerned with the identification, management, and long-term effects of concussion is adding new and exciting information to the professional body of knowledge required to reduce the risk of injury.” (Cerebral Concussion: Causes, Effects, and Risks in

Studies show that retired professional football players showed a three-fold increase in depression in players with a history of three or more concussions (Cifu). Evidence has also been gleaned from other sports that involve head impact. Nonrandomized studies of soccer players who have had multiple minor concussions have demonstrated that these individuals performed worse on neuropsychological tests compared with a control group (Neuropsychological testing is the standard for monitoring cognitive recovery after a concussion) (Cifu).

Cindy Dancy Mrs. Gambill 3rd 4/27/18 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy What I am going to talk about today is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) for short. But first I would like to explain what a concussion is to help you better understand why this happens.

I chose this topic because I have had a concussion during my football, and I want to know what goes on in the brain during, and after a concussion. Now that I have done this project it makes me second guess about playing sports sometime because a concussion can lead to depression,mood disorders, suicide thoughts do to the depression. Good thing I have only had one concussion, and it was a Grade 1 concussion there are three grades of concussion. Grade 1 is “no loss of consciousness,brief confusion,and other symptoms that clear up within 15 minutes.”

Many of the earliest effects that athletes suffer from, after sustaining a concussion are: headaches, stroke, seizures, nausea, vomiting, internal bleeding, and hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain ("Consequences of a Traumatic Brain Injury", 2016). These are all conditions, that an athlete can suffer from within hours or a few days of an initial hit to the head. These conditions range from minor to severe, the most severe being internal bleeding, and hydrocephalus and the minor ones being, nausea and vomiting ("Consequences of a Traumatic Brain Injury", 2016). No matter the severity of the concussion and it’s affects an athlete that has received multiple concussions is more likely to be faced with conditions that are not as noticeable at first, but lead to a life filled with pain and confusion (Brain Concussion Related Diseases & Conditions, 2016). When an athlete has a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), this leads to hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus, may not be apparent when a Traumatic Brain Injury first occurs, but it does occur in the early stages. However a diagnosis may not appear till a year

Concussion is defined as a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain induced by traumatic biomechanical forces, caused by either a direct blow to the head, face or neck or via excessive force elsewhere on the body transmitted to the head (American Association of Neurological Surgeons). The injury typically results in the rapid onset of acute neurological dysfunction and clinical symptoms such as loss of consciousness, dizziness, and headaches. A group of scientists conducted an experiment to find what a concussion is versus just a regular headache. This experiment shows the results of multiple tests on long term behavior with mTBI; the experiment conducts and defines what a headache is versus a concussions and concussion like symptoms (McAteer). This experiment defines a term that has long been trying to obtain an official and absolute definition.

The first concussion I had was in late May of 2016. It was at a memorial soccer tournament. Our team was not good. We tied our first game and lost our second. So really, there was no chance at all to go the finals. The last game which was around noon on that Sunday. We had a goal lead from a goal I had scored earlier in the game and coach wanted me to play defense so we wouldn't give up a equalizer. It was about 5 minutes left in the game and the other team’s goalkeeper had just punted the ball. Me and a forward for the other team both went up to get a head on the ball. When I went up the back of the kid’s head collided with mine. I right after went onto the ground and covered my nose because that also had started to bleed.

The purpose of this article is to present both the theoretical and clinical foundations and procedures for pre- and post-concussion management used by a university-based interdisciplinary team coordinated by speech-language pathology. The Miami University Concussion Management Program is one of the oldest university-based concussion programs in the United States and one of the few where the neurobehavioral and neurocognitive management is coordinated by speech-language pathology. This article starts off by giving us a definition of a sport related concussion, which is defined as a traumatically induced brain injury caused by contact with an opponent, a teammate, the ground, or an object in the playing area. It goes on to talk about how research

Concussion diagnosis is assessed through a variety of subjective clinical assessment tools (ex: SCAT3, SAC, BESS, Symptom checklists).17 These clinical assessment tools are often subjective in nature and largely rely on the patients’ test performance. Researchers are currently seeking out appropriate advanced concussion assessment approaches that are more objective. The following essay will outline Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and Electroencephalography (EEG) as advanced imaging tools that researchers have used to outline the effects of concussion on the brain.

I understand why the American devotion to football is ridiculed; we as a nation go crazy over watching people turn themselves into guided missiles. I am one of those guided missiles, and I relish that. For all the danger, all the sweat and bruises and aches, there’s nothing like being able to just run and hit people without fear. All the sudden, that dauntlessness was gone. My involvement in the game was limited to watching the scoreboard—down 24 points, then 30, then 36, now 40—all from the sideline. What had I done wrong?

Post-concussion syndrome is a complex disorder with symptoms can consist of headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and irritability that can last as little as a week and up to months after a head injury. The causes can be a traumatic blow to the head or neck injuries in which the patient does not have to lose consciousness. The effect of being injured can do permanent damaged to the brain and nervous system. Dealing with Post-concussion syndrome not only can have a physical effect, but a psychological one as well (Mayo clinic page 2).

Recurrent concussions can lead to late life cognitive Impairment In retired professional football players. 50,000 head injuries result in death each year and most injuries are classified as mild traumatic. Traumatic Brain Injuries have been classified as significant, emotional, and functional disabilities. This study wanted to show if recurrent concussions lead to neurodegenerative dementing disorders, Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s, and psychiatric disorders such as depression. The patients in this study played at least 2 years of professional football but their age group varies from recent professional players to professional players before World War ll.