Recent epidemiological studies have linked mild traumatic brain injury as a risk factor for dementia. Estimated that 100 to 300 per 100,000 people seek medical attention for mTBI annually worldwide. Due to not all persons with mTBI seeking medical attention it is estimated that 600 per 100,000 have a mTBI annually.
Epidemiological evidence suggests that moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases such as: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. (Ref) The protein Tau has been linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. (Ref)
There is research supporting the use of biomarkers to detect concussion in children
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Following a concussion, axons appear to be most susceptible to damage.
Gill et. al., reports that higher levels of plasma tau measured within 6 hours of concussion significantly relates to prolonged return to competition. (Ref) The study also showed higher plasma tau concentrations at 24 and 72 hours post-concussion in athletes with prolonged return to competition (greater than 10 days).
The diagnosis and management of concussion is challenging due to often times the physical and cognitive examinations being normal and additional tests are also commonly normal. Assessing cognitive function by asking questions of orientation have inadequate sensitivity to detect mild TBI after head injury.
There are a number of diagnostic tools that have been developed to aid in concussion recognition. The Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) is a tool used for the sideline evaluation of athletes who suffer a head injury. The SAC measures orientation, immediate memory, concentration, delayed recall, neurologic screening, and exertional maneuvers. SAC also includes a graded checklist, a brief neurologic examination, and records the presence of post-traumatic and retrograde amnesia. The validity of SAC in the absence of baseline score is uncertain.
The Post-Concussion Symptom Scale and Graded Symptom Checklist uses a seven-point scale including symptoms associated with concussion. These symptoms include headache, dizziness, irritability, and difficulty
Recently, an enormous amount of attention has been given to the long-term effects caused by a concussion. Despite the fact that the understanding and awareness as to the severity of this traumatic brain injury (TBI) has greatly improved, concussions are commonly disregarded, undiagnosed and/or under-treated. Unlike an external injury that is easily seen, a concussion is an internal brain injury; therefore, without the use of diagnostic imaging, the concussion itself is invisible. However, symptoms can be helpful in diagnosing a concussion when diagnostic imaging is not readily available.
The purpose of this study was to determine the association between having a previous concussion and then experiencing concussive signs and symptoms following head impacts. It was hypothesized that previously concussed athletes would have more severe and frequent signs and symptoms of a concussion following a head impact compared to athletes with no previous concussion. To test this hypothesis, 201 college athletes participated in a questionnaire. They were asked about previous concussions and if they experience concussive signs and symptoms when they had head impacts. After the results were all collected, it showed that nearly 60% of athletes who had zero previous concussions reports experiences signs and symptoms following head impacts! compared to nearly 80% of athletes who have had a concussion. These results show a significant correspondence between previous history of concussion and the reoccurrence of concussive signs and symptoms following a head
Students are not completely knowledgeable about the severity of concussions. Most think that a concussion has to be a loss of consciousness. But rather, it is just a change in consciousness. Some of those changes may include: headache, irritability, confusion, amnesia, dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea/vomiting, slurred speech, and fatigue. Spotting a concussion is not always easy, so looking for the signs after an injury is very important. A concussion is classified as a TBI (traumatic brain injury.) It is very important to go seek medical attention in the case of a possible concussion.
Another more common long-term effect of a concussion is post-concussion syndrome. Post-concussion syndrome is a side effect of a concussion, and it may last for weeks or even months. Athletes who suffer from this side effect must not return to sports while experiencing the symptoms. If one constantly gets concussions while playing this sport, they should consider not playing that sport for a while. Symptoms of postconcussive syndrome include memory and concentration problems,
There are multiple symptoms associated with the receiving of a concussion, but there are three that are outstandingly common among the general population of victims of concussions. Those include sensory changes and deficits, emotional difficulties like depression, and an overall reduction in cognitive functioning. According to Moore, Broglio, and Hillman, a concussion is defined as “a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanics forces.” Sport-Related Concussion and Sensory Function in Young Adults Simply stated, this means that a concussion is an injury that results from a traumatic blow to the brain. In recent years, concussions have been a popular topic in the media. Whether it be with regards
The study is a longitudinal study which they will end in 5 years. The athletes will be tested the time after concussion. To begin with the study, the group of study will take each test to get a baseline. The trial will begin with a Symptom Assessment Scale (SAS) before going into the neurocognitive assessment for a concussion. During the self-reported symptomatic (SRS) timeline after injury, the athlete's will self-survey their symptoms each week. Then, the athlete will complete the neurocognitive assessment testing of MACE, SCAT-2, SCAT-3, and ImPACT. For starter, the test will be given to the athlete after 24 hours of symptoms free. Each athlete had to meet the following criteria of completed a baseline assessment on the particular test and SAS before the injury, diagnosed with a concussion and given a follow-up assessment conducted within 72 hours of the injury and denied any symptoms at the SRA assessment point. After 24 hours of the free sign. The testing will have a motor skill of mechanical movement and gross movement. The first test is a baseline to see if any changes occur when the athlete is retested in two-year
Concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI) are the most common forms of traumatic brain injury. There are between 1.6 and 3.8 million concussions a year that occur due to sports and recreation accidents alone (CDC). Mild concussions and MTBIs were once thought to be insignificant in terms of consequences. However, there now is significant evidence that neurological even with what is thought to be a mild injury, physiological, and cognitive changes can occur. Individuals sustaining mild brain injuries often report an assortment of physical, cognitive, and emotional/behavioral symptoms referred to as post concussion syndrome (PCS). There are many symptoms associated with PCS, but these symptoms are often mistaken as behavior, mood, and/or adjustment disorders.
That is why people should recognize the symptoms of a concussion. There are four categories symptoms fall into, somatic, emotional, sleep disturbance, and cognitive. The symptoms that are experienced the most are headaches, nausea, balance problems, dizziness, light and noise sensitivity, and troubles remembering. There are many other symptoms that people experience though. In some cases people have experienced anosmia, or lost their sense of smell from a brain injury (Cantu and Hyman).
A concussion is an mTBI that affects brain function and is caused by a single blow or violent shaking of the head or upper body (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2017). Most sport-related head injuries are minor and although the majority of athletes who suffer a concussion recover within a few days or weeks, a small number of individuals develop long-lasting or progressive symptoms. This is especially true in cases of repetitive concussion or mTBI in which at least 17% of individuals develop CTE (McKee et al., 2015). The incidence rates recorded thus far for concussions is highly likely to be a very conservative number and seriously under-estimates the true incidence. Reasons for this being that: a) reports by associations tend to only record athletes who experience a loss of consciousness (LOC) and b) players and coaches usually lack awareness of or minimize symptoms of
Health professionals will often interchange between the two terms, concussion and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), when discussing this health condition (Halstead, Walter, Council on Sports, & Fitness, 2010). A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury resulting from a traumatic event which causes the affected individual to experience temporary neurological deficits, these are a result of “biomechanical forces” that have reached the head taking effect on the brain (Jordan, 2013; Paul McCrory et al., 2009; Silver, McAllister, & Yudofsky, 2011). This type of injury usually presents with multiple post concussive symptoms, although in some cases these symptoms do not present themselves until later (Paul McCrory et al., 2009), in which can result in the concussion going unnoticed.
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury. A concussion occurs when you receive an impact to the head. The importance of concussions varies and affect all types of athletes, from professionals to little leagues players. Sport concussions has become a major problem and it could be long-term effects of this injury if not properly treated. However, a concussion is usually short-lived. Several people recover from concussions within seven to ten days while others may take even longer than that (Zalser, 2015). Sadly, once an athlete has experienced a concussion, it is possible that he or she is at greater risk for varies concussions. In addition, because of the wide range of symptoms concussions cause, it is important that coaches, athletes, and parents are aware of them. Symptoms of sport concussions are not always obvious. Some may appear right away and others can be hindered for numerous of days after the injury occurred. The most common symptoms are headaches, drowsiness, confusion, balance, dizziness, and memory loss. When a player receives a blow to the head and is slow to get up, the athletic trainer or whoever is over them checks them out. There are a number of tests that can be ran on the athlete to make sure that they are thinking and seeing clearly. Just recently people have started paying more attention to concussions because new studies have come to light describing how bad they can affect you in the long run, for example; years after a football player career is
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
Athletes are required to take a baseline testing on concussion assessment measures to allow them to have a “normal” level to refer back towards (Guskiewicz, 2004). These baseline tests will help identify abnormalities caused by injuries and post injury recovery. Baseline testing is starting to become required for almost all athletes because the brain is a very sensitive part of the body and needs to be monitored for the athlete’s safety. Examinations by methods of testing are done at the beginning of the season and they help to clinically assess functions such as memory, concentration and balance that can be affected by a concussion(Bradley, 2013). These are tests that are done by the athlete’s personal trainer, if the personal trainer
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.
The authors of the article called “Comparison of the Balance Accelerometer Measure and Balance Error Scoring System in Adolescent concussions in Sports” are known as Furman, G. R., Lin, C. C., Bellanca, J. L., Marchetti, G. F., Collins, M. W., & Whitney, S. L. According to this article there is an average of 1.4 million cases of brain injuries reported in the United States a year. Sport related concussion play a huge part in this concussion. According the international conference on concussions the most common aspects of a concussion to be tested are dizziness, headache, poor sleep and emotional problems. The most popular symptom to test for a concussion is for dizziness. This is because it helps determine if there is any balance problems. If there is any balance problems it can indicate that might be affecting the central nervous system or the inner ear mechanism.