Nobody Really Knows What A Concussion Is

Go to to get a free month trial with CuriosityStream and get a subscription to Nebula bundled in for free!

Experts can't agree on the definition of the term "concussion," which makes it difficult to diagnose, treat, and research this important brain injury.

Thanks also to our Patreon patrons and our YouTube members.

___________________________________________

To learn more, start your googling with these keywords:

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma (often athletes)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI): a disruption in the normal function of the brain that can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or penetrating head injury

Subdural hematoma: a collection of blood between the layers of tissue that surround the brain

Cerebral microbleeding: small chronic brain hemorrhages which are likely caused by structural abnormalities of the small vessels of the brain

___________________________________________

If you liked this week’s video, you might also like:

Everything we know about concussions is wrong –

_________________________________________

Subscribe to MinuteEarth on YouTube:

Support us on Patreon:

And visit our website:

Say hello on Facebook:

And Twitter:

And download our videos on itunes:

___________________________________________

Credits (and Twitter handles):

Script Writer, Video Director, Narrator: Julián Gustavo Gómez (@ittakesii)

Video Illustrator: Sarah Berman (@sarahjberman)

With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Alex Reich, Kate Yoshida, Ever Salazar, Peter Reich, David Goldenberg, Arcadi Garcia Rius

Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder:


___________________________________________

References:

Rasmussen, Carly, et al. "How Dangerous Are Youth Sports for the Brain: A Review of the Evidence." Berkeley J. Ent. & Sports L. 7 (2018): 67. -

Shen, Francis X. "Are youth sports concussion statutes working." Duq. L. Rev. 56 (2018): 7. -

Sharp, David J., and Peter O. Jenkins. "Concussion is confusing us all." Practical neurology 15.3 (2015): 172-186. -

Tator, Charles H. "Concussions and their consequences: current diagnosis, management and prevention." CMAJ 185.11 (2013): 975-979. -

Whitelaw, A. S., and I. Young. "A case of perilymphatic fistula in blunt head injury." Emergency medicine journal 22.12 (2005): 921-921. -

Mason, Peggy. “Concussion Is a Counter-Productive Term: Let's Retire It.” The Brain Is Sooooo Cool!, 5 July 2015,

Haller, Sven, et al. "Cerebral microbleeds: imaging and clinical significance." Radiology 287.1 (2018): 11-28. -

Goldenbaum, Ellen. “Is It Really a Concussion? Symptoms Overlap with Neck Injuries, Making Diagnosis a Tough Call.” UB News Center, 29 July 2014,

MinuteEarth,Minute Earth,MinutePhysics,Minute Physics,earth,history,science,environment,environmental science,earth science,concussions,traumatic brain injury,neuroscience,american football,CTE,NFL,what is a concussion,concussion definition,