The word “concussion” derives from the Latin verb concutere which means “to shake violently. To put it simply, a concussion can be described as; a blow to the head which in turn creates a plethora of physical and cognitive symptoms. Knowing general information about concussions is common. People understand how they happen and how to take care of them. They understand that it has something to do with hitting your head and moving your brain. However, the actual disruption of homeostasis caused by a concussion is astounding. Not only is it one of the most potentially crippling and fatal injuries, it is also not talked about nearly enough. The brain is surrounded by a layer of cerebrospinal fluid, supplied by the dura, which is attached to the
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It can cause impairment and regressed cognitive dysfunction. This can take years or decades to develop, even after the brain injuries are sustained. It can cause memory loss, impulse control problems, aggression, depression and leads to advanced dementia. CTE causes a protein called “tau” to form around the blood vessels in the brain, in time, killing nerve cells. It is commonly found in boxers and more recently, reports have shown retired football players who suffered multiple concussions are now suffering from CTE. This condition ignites a gradual deterioration of the brain tissue and also creates a surplus of a protein called tau. The role of tau proteins is to stabilize microtubules. CTE has four stages. Stage one give no indication of symptoms, except there can be some tau accumulation can be found around the frontal lobe. Stage two is the “rage, impulsivity and depression” stage. Symptoms become more apparent as tau begins killing nerve cells in the frontal lobes. Stage three brings memory loss. The tau begins to expand from the frontal lobe, to the temporal lobe. When the hippocampus and amygdala become affected emotion and memory become impaired. Stage four is dementia. At this point, the tau has taken control of most of the brain by killing several nerve cells and causing the brain to shrink in half. Eventually, the brain will become frail …show more content…
It is simply the lack of education, which can result in a potentially fatal outcome. Whether it is a child who falls and complains of a headache, but never visits a doctor to get a diagnosis, or a football player who sustains multiple hits and years down the road end up with dementia. If the general public were to be made aware of what the brain endures while sustaining a concussion, everyone would be much more careful of how they treat their
It can cause impairment and regressed cognitive dysfunction. This can take years or decades to develop, even after the brain injuries are sustained. It can cause memory loss, impulse control problems, aggression, depression and leads to advanced dementia. CTE causes a protein called “tau” to form around the blood vessels in the brain, in time, killing nerve cells. It is commonly found in boxers and more recently, reports have shown retired football players who suffered multiple concussions are now suffering from CTE. This condition ignites a gradual deterioration of the brain tissue and also creates a surplus of a protein called tau. The role of tau proteins is to stabilize microtubules. CTE has four stages. Stage one give no indication of symptoms, except there can be some tau accumulation can be found around the frontal lobe. Stage two is the “rage, impulsivity and depression” stage. Symptoms become more apparent as tau begins killing nerve cells in the frontal lobes. Stage three brings memory loss. The tau begins to expand from the frontal lobe, to the temporal lobe. When the hippocampus and amygdala become affected emotion and memory become impaired. Stage four is dementia. At this point, the tau has taken control of most of the brain by killing several nerve cells and causing the brain to shrink in half. Eventually, the brain will become frail …show more content…
It is simply the lack of education, which can result in a potentially fatal outcome. Whether it is a child who falls and complains of a headache, but never visits a doctor to get a diagnosis, or a football player who sustains multiple hits and years down the road end up with dementia. If the general public were to be made aware of what the brain endures while sustaining a concussion, everyone would be much more careful of how they treat their