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Concussion
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Concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury. The term mild traumatic brain injury is often used as a synonym.
Acceleration, a sudden stop, or rotation of the head injures the axon, the long cable a neuron uses to send its signal. The blow does not cut the cable: it scrambles the fibers running inside it, the neurofilaments, which are the axon's internal scaffolding. At the same time, the ion channels in the membrane depolarize and release neurotransmitters, the molecules neurons use to talk to one another.
Beyond that, the brain changes how it uses glucose, its fuel; the blood flow reaching it drops, and the mitochondria, the cell's power plants, stop working well. Even with all of that, the outlook after a concussion is usually good: in most people the symptoms resolve.
In brief
Concussion is a subtype of traumatic brain injury, and mild traumatic brain injury is often used as an equivalent term.
Acceleration, deceleration, or rotation of the head injures the axon by disorganizing its neurofilaments, and depolarization of ion channels releases neurotransmitters.
The blow does not cut the cable: it scrambles the fibers running inside it.
Glucose metabolism also changes, cerebral blood flow drops, and there is mitochondrial dysfunction; the prognosis is usually good and in most people symptoms resolve.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingConcussion, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated