what happens to the brain in a concussion

What Happens to Your Brain When You Get a Concussion?

Elizabeth Sandel, Md, Medical Director for Epitome and author of Shaken Encephalon, has reviewed this article for content accuracy.

What is a concussion?

A concussion , also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) , is an injury to the brain caused by a blow or jolt to the head – or a blow to the body that causes the head to motility and the brain to shift rapidly inside the skull – that disrupts normal brain functioning. When nosotros say "concussion" moving forward, we'll be talking virtually an mTBI. When we talk virtually cells , know that cells are small edifice blocks that make up all living organisms. Dissimilar types of cells have dissimilar roles. A concussion causes impairment to cells in the brain on a tiny level. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are different from concussions because they are marked past structural injury to the encephalon likewise as cell injury.

What's my brain fabricated out of?

Let'due south walk through an overview of the brain. Your brain is made upward of cells, and the most important brain cells are called neurons . Neurons have axons , which connect these cells to each other and help them communicate. An axon is a part of the neuron that reaches out like an arm. A neuron communicates by using its axon to connect with another neuron, just like a person reaches out with their arm to pat a friend on the back.

Connections betwixt billions of neurons in your brain create a complicated web of pathways for your cells to communicate with each other. Your neurons and these connections allow you to practise a wide range of tasks, such as throwing a brawl, thinking, learning a new language, and processing emotions.

What does a concussion do to my encephalon?

Yous get a concussion equally a result of your brain moving suddenly within your skull and shaking similar jello as it returns to residue.

This encephalon movement hurts your neurons by causing them to stretch and sometimes break. The sudden brain movement causes damage which is labeled as a concussion.

Why does a concussion give me symptoms?

Injured neurons have a harder time communicating, and some connections between neurons in the brain may as well exist broken because of the concussion. These injuries at the cellular level arrive harder for the brain to do its job. Since the brain has so many responsibilities, a concussion can brand it harder to part.

What are common symptoms of a concussion?

If you are recovering from a concussion, yous might feel more sensitive to calorie-free, sound, movement, and others around y'all. Common symptoms include difficulty with headaches, memory, irritability, balance, visual processing, slumber, and hormonal changes. Even though others may not notice a difference, if you "feel dissimilar," it's important to realize that your experiences can likely be explained by your injury.

A lack of understanding by medical professionals and others around y'all is an unfortunately common situation that can make your injury feel invisible. To learn more near how this may bear upon you and notice advice for you and your supporters, check out our page on invisible injury.

Why are my neurons having trouble functioning?

Injuries to the neurons cause chemicals to leak in and out of the cells.

The leaking destabilizes your neurons away from their typical state. Returning your neurons to their typical state requires large amounts of energy.

How can encephalon imaging help me?

When you go to the ER or see a medical professional, they will make a concussion diagnosis based on their evaluation of your symptoms. The about accessible brain imaging devices, like MRI or CT, usually evidence no evidence of encephalon injury in concussion patients. As we explained above, concussions occur at the cellular level, so the damage is also modest to be seen with these scans. Though MRI and CT are not useful alone for diagnosing a concussion, they are valuable for ruling out more serious TBI-related structural harm to the brain and skull, such equally bleeding. See our immediate intendance folio for red-flag symptoms that may crave follow-upwards with a medical professional.

Why is my brain making less energy than normal?

Normally, blood carries lots of energy-rich nutrients to your brain, merely a concussion may decrease blood menstruation to your brain. This ways that the energy supply into your brain has been weakened. The leaking of chemicals in injured neurons in your brain also damages mitochondria. Mitochondria are the energy-producing centers of each cell, so injured neurons tin't produce as much free energy. Low blood input and low mitochondrial energy production help explain why there is less energy available to your brain.

Why do I feel more tired than usual?

A concussion weakens your brain's ability to make and supply energy for healing. To make matters worse, a concussed brain needs more energy than normal to restore balance and heal. This gap between your lower free energy supply and higher energy demand explains why you may feel extremely tired after a concussion.

On top of this free energy shortage, your encephalon is prioritizing its limited energy for healing, which ways that yous have less energy available for daily functioning. Information technology'southward common for people recovering from a concussion to feel they are e'er "running out of energy."

Why am I more than vulnerable to re-injury after a concussion?

It is critically of import to protect your encephalon from another concussion during this free energy shortage. Sustaining a follow-up concussion before your brain has fully healed can be disastrous. Research shows that, after a second concussion, your recovery takes longer and you may have a greater number and intensity of symptoms, equally well as increased vulnerability. In rare cases, a second concussion too soon after the kickoff tin cause second bear on syndrome which tin atomic number 82 to coma or death.

It'south extremely of import that athletes are immediately removed from the game after a possible concussion. Fifty-fifty a few minutes of continued play can increase the number of symptoms and recovery time.

How long does it have for my brain to metabolically recover?

Co-ordinate to The Berlin fifth International Consensus on Concussion, metabolic recovery take 10-fourteen days for adults and one month for youth 18 and nether. Yet, recovery time can vary from person to person and is not always predictable. It's important to know that symptomatic recovery is on a different timeline from metabolic recovery.

Feeling amend and having no more symptoms does not necessarily mean that your encephalon has healed and is gear up for full action: it is notwithstanding healing and especially vulnerable to a secondary concussion. The energy shortage and vulnerability to additional injuries has a lot of potential to become worse, and information technology is important to be especially careful during this initial, fragile stage of recovery.

Is my brain able to heal & will my symptoms become away?

Fortunately, your brain tin repair and heal itself! It is valuable to remember that your brain can exist retrained. Networks between neurons can be reshaped, rebuilt, and strengthened. This procedure can help you function amend. With care, you tin can amend your quality of life and your symptoms can become better. This result is more than only possible; it is within reach.

Guidelines for Recovery

Who can I lean on for support?

It'south okay to ask for assistance. People around you want y'all to be well. With the assistance and support from friends, family, and medical professionals, you can find your own path towards recovery. For individuals with persistent symptoms, it is valuable to build a team of medical specialists, where each specialist tin offer deeper back up for a subset of your symptoms in order to meliorate your recovery.

Many healthcare providers (including general practitioners, physical therapists, vestibular therapists, occupational therapists, and more) can support y'all in your medical recovery and rehabilitation. Friends, family members, teachers, teammates, colleagues, and more tin can all support you in your personal recovery. Which fellow member of your support team has the power to make the virtually deviation? Information technology's you lot. Your mentality towards your recovery is invaluable: protect it as much as you can, and allow other people to assist you lot.

What Happens to Your Brain: a Deeper Dive

Still curious? Seeking a more than detailed explanation? This deeper dive folio is for you. Our deeper swoop page expands on the ideas introduced higher up.

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Source: https://www.concussionalliance.org/what-happens-to-your-brain

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