Concussion’s complex nature

Concussion is a major public health problem, but not much is known about the impacts that cause concussion or how to prevent them. A new study suggests that the problem is more complicated than previously thought. It seems simple enough: Taking a hard hit to the head can give you a concussion. But, Stanford researchers report March 30 in Physical Review Letters , in most cases, the connection is anything but simple. David Camarillo and colleagues used computer simulations and data collected from football gear to study the complex nature of concussion. (Image credit: Saul Bromberger and Sandra Hoover) Combining data recorded from football players with computer simulations of the brain, a team working with David Camarillo , an assistant professor of bioengineering, found that concussions and other mild traumatic brain injuries seem to arise when an area deep inside the brain shakes more rapidly and intensely than surrounding areas. But, they also found that the mechanical complexity of the brain means there is no straightforward relationship between different bumps, spins and blows to the head and the likelihood of injury.