What Happens to the Brain?
What is it that is interrupted that causes mental impairment and the side effects seen in concussion victims? Well it has been shown that metabolic functions within the brain are altered following mild traumatic brain injury (Vagnozzi, et al., 2010). While this difference in metabolic function has not been directly related the symptoms experienced by persons suffering from mild traumatic brain injury, it does serve as a possible diagnostic method (Vagnozzi, et al., 2010). Axonal impairment has also been shown to occur following a concussive injury (Creed, et al., 2011) and could most likely contribute to the symptoms that commonly accompany a concussive injury.
How Might this Affect a Patients Overall Outcome?
As of now, the degree to which a mild traumatic brain injury causes long-term effects is not agreed upon. However, it has been noted that multiple injuries can lead to mental deterioration.
What leads to long-term brain deterioration in patients with multiple concussions?
It is possible that long-term mental health problems associated with concussions are due to long-term neuronal impairment in areas affected by the concussion. Since it has been shown that axonal damage in mice lasts for a greater period than concussion symptoms and that changes within the brain are most probably due to impaired neuronal function rather than neuron death (Creed, et al., 2011). It seems that it has not yet been determined the frequency with which long-term effects due to mild traumatic brain injury become present (Ruff, 2011).
How can we measure the effects and determine when it is safe to return to activity?
The current method is often allowing the patient to rest and testing their mental capacity until it has returned to normal. However, we can use more current methods of analyzing brain injuries to give perhaps a more complete picture of the effects of the injury. The implication of altered metabolic function within the brain, resulting in metabolite ratios that differ from normal conditions, could possibly allow physicians to monitor these metabolic ratios in order to determine the condition of the brain (Vagnozzi, et al., 2010). This could help give medical staff addition information when determining when it would be safe for a person to resume activities that may place them at risk of suffering further brain injury (Vagnozzi, et al., 2010).