Psychophysiological Effects of Sport-Induced Concussions

Concussion

Heterogeneous brain injuries from biomechanical forces.

Symptoms of concussion

Dizziness, headaches, confusion, memory deficits, nausea.

Acute symptoms

Symptoms occurring minutes to hours post-injury.

Late symptoms

Symptoms occurring days to weeks post-injury.

Concussion prevalence

Falls > road accidents > sports injuries.

Age risk factor

Youth aged 10-19 have highest concussion risk.

Emergency room data

2.7 million children treated for head injuries.

NCAA injury rate

Varies by sport, measured per 1000 exposures.

High school injury rate

Reported per 10,000 athletic competition exposures.

Major risk factors

Type of sport, position, technique, exposure time.

Sport types with highest risk

Rugby, hockey, and football lead in concussions.

Position risk in football

Linemen face lower force impacts; receivers higher.

Technique risk

Head down position increases injury risk.

Competition risk

Higher risk of concussions in games than practice.

Gender risk

Females have higher concussion rates than males.

Concussion history

Prior concussions increase risk of future injuries.

Animal research

Studies suggest mechanisms for concussion effects.

Diffuse axonal injury

Twisting and stretching disrupts glia and axons.

Ionic pump activity

Increased need for glucose due to dysregulation.

Neuroinflammation

Inflammation and degeneration occur post-concussion.

Blood-brain barrier dysregulation

Larger molecules can enter brain post-injury.

S100B protein

Elevated post-concussion, indicates glial cell damage.

Fruit fly model

Used to study concussion effects in research.

High impact trauma

Severe brain/body injury causing immediate effects.

Genome-wide association study

Identifies gene variants predicting survival in flies.

Blood-brain barrier

Protective barrier regulating substances entering the brain.

Glucose dysregulation

Impaired glucose metabolism affecting brain injury recovery.

Metformin

Medication that improves glucose control in humans.

Ketogenic diet

High-fat, low-carb diet potentially aiding brain recovery.

Psychophysiological consequences

Mental and physical effects following brain trauma.

Neurophysiological effects

Long-term brain function changes post-injury.

Cognitive performance

Mental ability to process information and tasks.

Neuropsychological test battery

Set of tests assessing cognitive functions.

Executive functioning

Cognitive flexibility and memory inhibition abilities.

Acute exercise effects

Short-term boost in attention and memory post-exercise.

Graded symptom checklist (GSC)

Assessment tool for concussion symptoms and recovery.

Standard assessment of concussion (SAC)

5-minute test for memory and orientation post-injury.

Age as moderator

Age influences recovery duration after concussion.

Sleep problems

Increased risk of issues in concussed athletes.

Delayed recovery

Prolonged recovery linked to pre-injury sleep issues.

Verbal memory performance

Ability to recall spoken information post-injury.

Short-term effects

Immediate symptoms occurring weeks after concussion.

Long-term effects

Persistent symptoms lasting months to years post-injury.

Natural experiment

Observational study comparing effects of boxing matches.

Quasi-experimental evidence

Research design assessing concussion effects in football.

Multi-site study

Research involving multiple locations for broader data.

Acute psychological response

Increased symptoms like headache and dizziness.

Symptom resolution time

7 days for adults, 15 for high school athletes.

Cognitive change

Memory deficits show largest acute changes.

Cognitive test changes

Attention and processing speed show moderate changes.

Cognition resolution time

2-5 days for adults, 7 days for high school athletes.

Sport-induced insomnia

Common sleep issue after concussions.

Daytime sleepiness

Frequent symptom following sport-related concussions.

Recovery moderators

Factors slowing recovery include age and prior concussions.

Chronic neurophysiological deficits

Long-term cognitive effects from repeated concussions.

Event-related potential

Measures brain response to auditory stimuli.

P300 component

Related to attention, reduced in aging and disorders.

Clinical depression risk

Increases with recurrent concussions in retired NFL players.

Dementia-related syndromes

May begin after repetitive cerebral concussions.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)

Change in one cognitive domain, not full dementia.

Dementia definition

Impairment in two or more cognitive domains.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

Progressive neurodegenerative disorder from repeated head trauma.

Phosphorylated tau

Protein linked to neurofibrillary tangles in CTE.

Neurofibrillary tangles

Hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, formed by tau.

Amyloid plaques

Protein clumps associated with Alzheimer's disease.

PET radiotracers

Used to image tau distribution in the brain.

NCAA-DoD Care Consortium

Study aiming to improve data on head injuries.

Punch drunk syndrome

Historical term for dementia from boxing-related head trauma.

Boxer brain study

Research on brain damage in boxers by Corsellis.

NFL post-mortem CTE diagnosis

High prevalence of CTE in former NFL players.