The Pathophysiology of Sports Concussion

During concussion, the brain is exposed to rapid acceleration, deceleration, and rotational forces, resulting in the stretching and distortion of neural structures. This produces in an injury of transient neurological dysfunction, as evidenced by the clinical symptomatology. It is now evident that recurrent head trauma is also associated with the development of some chronic neurodegenerative disorders. Despite increased awareness of concussion over the past decade, large voids remain in our understanding of its pathophysiology. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the underlying biological mechanism of acute concussive injury as it relates to chronic neuropathology.