In recent years and with developing research, the severity of concussions has started to become more identified and recognized. Concussions are caused by some bio-mechanical force to the head. This could be due to a collision in sports, a car accident, a fall or any circumstance where the heat experiences a great force. Most people are
familiar with the initial symptoms associated with concussions like headaches, memory issues and sensitivity to light; however, there are chemical changes happening in the brain to cause these symptoms and can explain long term changes that happen to one’s brain after a concussion.
What’s your brain doing?
These are the main events that occur in the brain after incurring a concussion.
- The membranes of the neurons stretch as a result of the force or jolt to the head. This causes increased potassium efflux and calcium influx as well as glutamate release. The excess of glutamate release impairs learning and memory because the excitatory inhibitory balance is off and these processes are glutamate dependent.
- There is an increased activity of ATPase (an enzyme that cleaves ATP to ADP) which causes more ATP to be consumed. This leads the body to go into hyperglycolysis in order to restore the energy that was used by trying to restore the ion balance.
- Calcium becomes sequestered in the mitochondria which leads to impairment of glucose metabolism. This is associated with deficits in spatial learning and behavioral impairments.
- Due to these conditions, there is more anaerobic metabolism occurring which leads to a build-up of lactate which could eventually lead to acidosis.
Long term risks
Effects of a concussion can last much longer than just a few weeks after the event occurs. It is possible to have symptoms that last years or even throughout one’s lifetime. It has been shown that having multiple concussions and not allowing enough recovery time can increase symptoms of depression in athletes. Additionally, the prevalence of anxiety was in collegiate athletes with multiple concussions. There is also an increased risk of development of Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and ALS with history of a traumatic brain injury.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative disease commonly found in those with a history of repetitive brain trauma. This does not necessarily mean having multiple concussions but rather hundreds of small, hard hits on the head that impact the brain over the timeframe of multiple years. CTE consists of a build-up of tau proteins that spreads throughout the brain and kill the brain cells which results in the degeneration. Symptoms usually affect one’s mood and behavior and can include aggression, depression and paranoia. When the disease is more advanced, symptoms can include difficulty with memory and thinking, confusion, dementia and loss of good judgement.
Recovery
It is extremely important that enough recovery time is allowed before returning to regular daily activities and sports after experiencing a concussion. The treatment of concussions depends on the severity of the symptoms that are experienced. In general,
rest is the best way for one’s brain to recover from a concussion. This entails resting both physically and mentally which may include eliminating screens, reading, working and driving for a certain amount of time.
It is crucial to the brain’s health to allow sufficient time to recover, because repeat concussion events can cause cumulative effects on the brain. This is often difficult for many people to understand as concussions are an injury that is not visible to outsiders. When looking at someone, we may assume they seem able to play or return to their daily activities when in reality they are still suffering from symptoms that are not visible. These injuries to the brain are very serious and should be treated as such even though there may not be any physical impairment to someone’s body.
