Concussion in Sports

Abstract

Concussion, a peculiar type of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is an injury frequently encountered in various contact and noncontact sports, such as boxing, martial arts, American football, rugby, soccer, ice hockey, horse riding, and alpine skiing. Concussion occurs anytime external forces of specific intensities provoke acceleration–deceleration of the brain, and it is characterized by the rapid onset of short-lived impairment of neurologic functions, spontaneously resolving within weeks, persisting for longer times only in a small percentage of cases. A wide range of molecular alterations, including mitochondrial dysfunction, energy deficit, and gene and protein expression changes, is triggered by concussion and lasts longer than clinical symptoms. In recent years, concussion has become a primary issue of discussion among sports medicine professionals, athletes, media, and sports sponsors in relation to athletes’ return to play, after a concussion. Continued improvement in prevention and management of concussed athletes requires extensive research from different disciplines. Research work needs to focus on both prevention and management. Researchers and clinicians’ efforts should be dedicated to a better understanding of the molecular changes occurring in the post-concussed brain and to clearly define healing after concussion for a safe return of athletes to play. It is essential for sports medicine professionals to stay informed about the advances in understanding concussions and how to rehabilitate each single player who sustained a concussion.

Athleticism and sex impact neural processing of sound

“…Despite some recovery of the F0 as the individual recovers 64 , a lingering deficit can remain 66 . Athletes, especially, those participating in contact or collision sports, are at greater risk than non-athletes of sustaining a concussion 67 . But, even more common for these athletes, is that they regularly sustain subconcussive impacts 68 , 69 .…”

The Prospective Study of Epigenetic Regulatory Profiles in Sport and Exercise Monitored Through Chromosome Conformation Signatures

“…The duration of this period is highly variable from one concussion to another and can also vary between individuals [ 96 ], and secondary head trauma within this period seems particularly dangerous. Importantly, this period persists longer than measurable symptoms and often beyond the return of neuropsychological testing values to baseline, with many concussed patients being asymptomatic [ 97 ]. In light of these observations and the absence of structural damage from concussion, a number of approaches to measure the alterations in cellular function associated with concussion are proposed as diagnostic markers.…”

The “Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology” Journal Club Series: Highlights on Recent Papers in Overtraining and Exercise Addiction

“…The appearance of this behaviour has been seen to be connected to excessive and intense practice, associated with some specific sport categories and linked to different social and cultural aspects. In addition, propensity for high-risk activities, obsessive passion and dedication to sports are the personality traits involved in the definition of a sport-addicted [ 13 ]. The reasons behind this phenomenon rely on the social pressure for a perfect body, on the attraction to risky and dangerous situations and on the feeling of euphoria, known as “runner’s high”, provoked by the central effects of endorphins and other endogenous opioids, described by some athletes in the same manner as drug addicts talk about substances.…”