Neuro Note #1 - Concussion
As I was browsing my options on what to write my first neuro note on, I remembered I just recently watched the movie Concussion. This movie is a true story about how NFL football players who suffer repeated blows to the head can develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). These repeated blows to the head over time proved to cause brain damage, something that the NFL ignored could happen and didn't even warn players of this risk.
We know from class that a concussion is a form of a mild traumatic brain injury. Sometimes the symptoms of a TBI can be so mild that they aren't taken seriously. Any time there is a blow to the head, your brain is bumped to the front and then to the back, called coup and countercoup.
This movie really shed light on how a concussion can affect your cognition and present with such symptoms that one is simply not themselves. In the movie, we see Mike Webster's (NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers) life after playing for the NFL and suffering many hits. After retiring, he suffered from dementia, depression, and was homeless, mostly living out of his pick up truck. He later is found dead in his truck. What stunned the forensic pathologist was how someone so healthy and active could go downhill so quickly. This movie really called to attention that brain injuries can have so much of a mental impact.
I really liked how this movie showed how much a concussion or even brain injury in general can affect someone's personality. There was such a dramatic personality change that I think maybe some people didn't realize was even a factor in brain injuries. This movie also showed how much research proved that repeated blows to the head can cause brain damage, but not just physical effects. It also made me ponder about what OTs role could have done for the cases presented in the movie. If there was therapeutic intervention, could their life have been more fulfilling or even lives spared? More than just a movie though, this film has focused the media on the awareness and concern of concussions. As focus and awareness on concussions grows, so does the therapy to treat it. This motivates me to follow up on research because post concussion syndrome and brain injuries in general is a neurological condition I would love to specialize in.
Scott, R., Facio, G., Wolthoff, D., Shuman, L., & Cantillon, E. (Producer), & Landesman, P.
(Director). (November 10, 2015). Concussion [Motion picture]. United States: Columbia
Pictures.
We know from class that a concussion is a form of a mild traumatic brain injury. Sometimes the symptoms of a TBI can be so mild that they aren't taken seriously. Any time there is a blow to the head, your brain is bumped to the front and then to the back, called coup and countercoup.
This movie really shed light on how a concussion can affect your cognition and present with such symptoms that one is simply not themselves. In the movie, we see Mike Webster's (NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers) life after playing for the NFL and suffering many hits. After retiring, he suffered from dementia, depression, and was homeless, mostly living out of his pick up truck. He later is found dead in his truck. What stunned the forensic pathologist was how someone so healthy and active could go downhill so quickly. This movie really called to attention that brain injuries can have so much of a mental impact.
I really liked how this movie showed how much a concussion or even brain injury in general can affect someone's personality. There was such a dramatic personality change that I think maybe some people didn't realize was even a factor in brain injuries. This movie also showed how much research proved that repeated blows to the head can cause brain damage, but not just physical effects. It also made me ponder about what OTs role could have done for the cases presented in the movie. If there was therapeutic intervention, could their life have been more fulfilling or even lives spared? More than just a movie though, this film has focused the media on the awareness and concern of concussions. As focus and awareness on concussions grows, so does the therapy to treat it. This motivates me to follow up on research because post concussion syndrome and brain injuries in general is a neurological condition I would love to specialize in.
References
Scott, R., Facio, G., Wolthoff, D., Shuman, L., & Cantillon, E. (Producer), & Landesman, P.
(Director). (November 10, 2015). Concussion [Motion picture]. United States: Columbia
Pictures.
CTE is a fascinating diagnosis, one that we are learning more about all the time. Great post!
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