Concussions: Is It Really Just a Bump to the Head?
If someone told you that contact sports could later in life diminish your way of living, you would think twice about playing, right? Studies have shown that a concussion can cause serious brain disease later in life. A few of these disease include Alzheimer's, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gherig's Disease), Dementia, and even clinical depression. If someone has one concussion, that makes them much more susceptible to another, especially if the symptoms of the first concussion had not cleared before the second concussion occurred. Multiple concussions have also showed to increase the chance of brain disease later in life even more. Ultimately, the more concussions a person has in life, the higher chance of brain disease later in life. People in the army and people who play contact sports are the ones in highest risk of concussions but there are many other ways to receive a concussion as well. People in a car accident are at risk and others who bump their head are also at risk.
An example of a study includes 900 retired NFL players, all had confirmed concussions, and how as an average, they showed three times more likely to have Alzheimer's. A North Carolina University study showed 2500 retired NFL players that had 3 to 5 concussions and that they were 5 times more likely to have any one of these cognitive impairments later in life. Scientists study brains that have been donated to research and look for two main protein buildups in the brain, tau and TDP-43. Tau has been linked to psychological problems in life just before death. It has also been linked to inhibiting the brain’s ability to retain memories and keep impulse controlled. TDP-43 has been found to be connected to ALS.
In the most serious situations, concussions have been found to be the cause of clinical depression and even suicide. Recently, two NFL players have committed suicide. Junior Seau and David Duerson both committed suicide due to clinical depression from receiving so many blows to the head. Both Seau and Duerson were sure to shoot themselves in the chest so that their brain could be sent to be researched and studied by scientists to find out what concussions do to the brain.Junior Seau even wrote a note telling how he wanted his brain to be researched to help others see what the results of concussions are.
An example of a study includes 900 retired NFL players, all had confirmed concussions, and how as an average, they showed three times more likely to have Alzheimer's. A North Carolina University study showed 2500 retired NFL players that had 3 to 5 concussions and that they were 5 times more likely to have any one of these cognitive impairments later in life. Scientists study brains that have been donated to research and look for two main protein buildups in the brain, tau and TDP-43. Tau has been linked to psychological problems in life just before death. It has also been linked to inhibiting the brain’s ability to retain memories and keep impulse controlled. TDP-43 has been found to be connected to ALS.
In the most serious situations, concussions have been found to be the cause of clinical depression and even suicide. Recently, two NFL players have committed suicide. Junior Seau and David Duerson both committed suicide due to clinical depression from receiving so many blows to the head. Both Seau and Duerson were sure to shoot themselves in the chest so that their brain could be sent to be researched and studied by scientists to find out what concussions do to the brain.Junior Seau even wrote a note telling how he wanted his brain to be researched to help others see what the results of concussions are.