Concussive Head Trauma is one of the dominant concerns surrounding high school football. Ensuing studies however were also able to demonstrate that concussive force should be a concern as it disrupts the normal functional capacity of the brain of an injured player. This work examines the results of a study showing the rests of the concussion risk of adolescent football players and the consequences of such injuries in later life.
Concussions in High School Football
Concussion falls under the umbrella of TBI, and is caused by a blow that is either applied to the head or the body, which leads to jostling of the brain within the skull. Such movements can cause some change in the workings of the brain’s chemistry and even the brain neurons and tissues. Statistics highlight that certain categories of players, for example, high school football players, more often than others suffer from head injuries which is associated with the nature of the game which is more aggressive and involves a lot of contact.
The clinical presentation of a concussion, a common types of TBI, is often heterogeneous in nature but can be resented under the following headings – headache, feeling dazed, vertigo, amnesia, decrease in attention span, etc. It is interesting to note that majority of the sportspersons have similar complaints but are able to recover and resume their activities within a few days. But recent research and medical practice shows that even minor head injuries are sufficient to cause chronic impairment in the functioning and efficiency of the human brain.
Recent Research Findings
Scholars from Wake Forest School of Medicine recently conducted a study on the effects of concussions on the brain function of high school American football players. A total of 91 players were followed for the entire course of a competitive season and this was achieved through MEG which is an advanced neuroimaging method used for finding the magnetic fields of the electrical activity of the brain. Out of these athletes, 10 suffered concussions throughout the course of the season.
This particular study made use of a technique that has typically been ignored in neuroscience: aperiodic activity, also referred to as a form of brain circumsigns. This non-rhythmic brain signal reflects the excitability of the neurons that are found in the outer layer of the brain. A major finding of the study is that the players who reported unconsciousness after concussions had relentless aperiodic activity which was less than non-concussed players. Such periodic slowing down was also closely associated with worse cognitive symptoms and lower test scores after their injuries.
Concerning the results of this study, Dr. Christopher T. Whitlow, one of the lead authors, explained: “Cortical content — at least a more active framework — is contingent that there should be an existence of some aperiodic activity because it shows the extent to which the cortex of the brain is active. It is evident that lower levels of activity can result in great cognitive deficits like memory and learning.” Which also adhere to the concussions are eyes but rather for American.
The Long-Term Risks of Concussions
Results from this investigation correspond with the emerging worries regarding the impact of multiple concussions in young sportsmen. Literature has established that repeated trauma to the head can result in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which is basically a neurodegenerative disease that targets the brain and is related to mental dysfunction. Although CTE is common in post-mortem diagnosis, however, researches have shown that these factors can remodel the structure of the brain much earlier, and well before these ailments appear.
For instance, in high school football players, it is now documented that even sub-concussive impacts (that are impacts that do not have clinical manifestations) can progressively build up and have permanent effects. This brings to attention the fact that there is an absolute need to be able to properly monitor and address head impact incidences in young athletes.
Importance of Monitoring and Recovery
Concussion-related injuries should be a primary concern for coaches, parents, and healthcare professionals alike. Collisions on the field may occur, but proper medicine and rehabilitation should be enforced before any player steps back into the field. The work’s creators point out that children or adolescents are patients and should never be treated as professionals who can ignore post-concussion symptoms and return to the sport immediately.
Dr. I. Alex Wiesman, an assistant professor in the department of psychology. Youngsters participating in sports need time to rest and allow their brains to heal fully. One of the step in addressing this pitfal was emphasized in Wai’s research: all children’s sports activities must be closely monitored after the incident. Dr. Wiesman and Wai both documented that taking this preventative measure minimizes risk of re-injury and improves long term wellbeing.
Future Directions for Research
While researchers have devoted ample time in unwrapping the intricacies of understanding concussion among High School players, few advocate for a departure from the traditional understanding of concussions and a shift in the focus towards concussions as a multi-faceted issue. In this context, future studies could be directed towards the problem of the maintenance of periodic activities with variables of aperiodicity in determining the neurotransmitter balance and the health of the brain.
Moreover, there is a great gap in addressing the testing techniques that only discuss the post-injury symptoms and are limited to checklists. By devising how they affect the various spectrums of the human brain activity, effective diagnostic and treatment methods can be developed.
Conclusion
High school football players are exposed to the risk of concussions during play which may affect their overall health as well as cognitive development in the long run. New studies have now provided an explanation as to how these injuries may induce a reduction in the rate of brain activity and alternatively change the functions that are crucial for cognition in younger athletes.
With head injuries in sport slowly becoming a popular issue of concern, measures and protocols that help ensure player’s safety through monitoring and management are key stresses. By treating concussions with the seriousness they merit and following guidelines during restoration, we can prevent damage to youth athletes while creating a much safer sports environment in general.