The Brain
www.discovermagazine.com
Zimmer, C. (2010, July/August). The Brain. Discover Magazine , pp. 28-30.
This article discusses the brain, more specifically, brain injury that takes place in the axons. I find it interesting that the studies that have been done so far have done very little to actually find a way to cure, or fix the damage these types of injury cause.
The first part of the article discusses a new part of training in the NFL. Players are now expected to undergo a number of cognitive tests to determine a baseline for their brain function. The trainers do this using a computer; the player has to remember positions of X’s and O’s on the screen and match colors to the words that describe them. The trainers are using these tests as a tool that can be used if a player is to get a head injury while playing. The player can retake the test post-injury and it can be determined if he has any cognitive problems. I wonder if other sports are going to start using this same technology. In the NHL, it used to be that hockey players could play immediately after a concussion. Now, players can be thrown out of the league after 3 major concussions.
The second part of the article explains axons and how damage occurs to them. It seems that an axon can stretch almost twice its normal length if stretched slowly and then slowly retract. This stretching, provided it is slow, does not harm the axon. I think of stretching chewed bubblegum. Axons are flexible in this way unless they are stretched suddenly and fast (like when a hockey player’s head smashes into the ice). When this happens the axon “kinks, swells, and eventually falls apart.” The axon still looks like an axon but inside its structure is destroyed. This type of injury is called diffuse axonal injury. It is just in the early stages of study but it has been found in athletes, people who have experienced the shock wave from a bomb, or whiplash in an auto accident (Zimmer, 2010).
Finally, the article talks about what happens to the axon after the injury. The sodium/calcium exchange gets altered and the axon will die. It also goes on to say that there are no treatments or cures for brain injury. They do think that this type of study could help in possibly finding ways to treat injury once they have happened.
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I think when looking at brain injuries rega this regarding atheletes you have to look at boxing first. These atheletes take a beating everytime they get in the ring. Just look at Muhamed Ali, the guy can barely talk. So I guess what im saying is that I like that they are at least attempting to fix or stop these problems.
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate this article talking about sports and the possible effects and how trainers are testing to take better care of the players. Obviously brain injury is very serious and think the average person is doing more to protect themselves these days. The old rule of thumb I use is if your going faster than you can run you should have a helmet.
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