Head Shot: Football and Concussions

The paper we read for this week takes us down to the basic mechanism of concussions, and by investigating the neurometabolic changes the authors try to find the relationship between these changes and sports related issues. Since I have no personal experiences with concussions, I decided to seek help from the internet in order to find some Inspirations to write this blog. And luckily, one of my favorite TV programs, Sport Science by ESPN, did a sector on the topic, NFL Concussions and helmet to helmet collisions. Although this video was filmed over two years ago, I find it still fits perfectly with the recent controversial topic of sports and concussions, especially in the NFL.
Earlier in the year, some former NFL players filed lawsuits against the league for repeated traumatic injuries to their heads. As of today, the number of the total players (both recent and former) in these lawsuits has snowballed to nearly 3000. Although personally I do not believe they have a strong case, but since I am a science student not an expert in law, it is more appropriate for me to just dive into the science part of the issue.
After a traumatic head impact, the excitatory amino acids (EAAs) are accidentally released from the pre-synaptic neurons, which then bind to the NMDA receptors located on the post- synaptic neurons. Upon the activation of the NMDA receptors, the efflux of potassium and influx of calcium leads to neuronal depolarization. And since our body would like to restore the normal cell potential, the ATP requiring sodium potassium pumps in the cell will work overtime causing the “hypermetabolism” and eventually an energy crisis. The researchers suggest that the energy crisis is a likely mechanism for postconcussive vulnerability, making the brain less able to respond sufficiently to a second injury and potentially leading to longer-lasting deficits such as impaired coordination, attention, memory, and cognition. According to the Sport Science video, over 100,000 concussions occur at all levels of football field alone every year, and 60% of these results from head to head collisions. In the NFL, the average speed of the collision is 20 miles per hour, and a player’s head could experience nearly 190Gs of force in just 0.015 seconds. Even with improved technology, helmets could only reduce an 80G collision in half, which is still more than enough to cause a concussion.
All these facts only suggest that concussions and physical sports such as football go hand in hand. With proper care, most concussive patients are able to fully recover from mild concussions. But most people (including the players) sometimes underestimate the damages of repeated concussions and therefore result in permanent damages. After all, no matter what the outcomes of the lawsuits turn out to be, I believe the lawsuits themselves are positive. Because they have successfully raised the awareness of the importance of concussion care of the general public, and more importantly, the youth and adolescent players who see the NFL players as idols.