Concussions have been a hot topic in recent years, with growing evidence highlighting the damaging and long-term consequences that result. The most popular definition of a concussion is “any disruption of brain function caused by a direct or indirect force exerted on the head.” It results in a variety of nonspecific symptoms and often does not result in loss of consciousness.” One of the main problems has been being able to accurately diagnose concussion and assign severity. There is currently no scoring system with sufficient evidence to accurately diagnose severity. The most common current method of diagnosis relies on observation and self-report of symptoms by people who have suffered a concussion. As Professor Franck stated in his lecture, almost two million people suffer head injuries every year, representing a high cost of $60 billion. Although athletes are the most popular victims of concussions, concussions can happen to anyone. Something like falling down the stairs or out of bed could cause more damage than initially thought. Much new research points to unintended future consequences of concussions, and if there is an accurate medical diagnosis, symptoms are more manageable. Concussions are large-scale injuries that can occur to anyone from the young to the elderly, and therefore more research is needed to understand the magnitude of their effects. It is possible for death or disability to result in an untreated or ignored concussion. However, diagnostic methods currently exist, and they range from the simplest to the most technologically complex. There are computer-assisted analysis methods, automatic imaging to track biological changes, mental and physical tests, as well as simple observation by a doctor or trained professional on the person's mental and physical state victim of a concussion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Although very broad-spectrum diagnostic methods exist, some researchers are looking to the smallest cells to predict concussions. In his lecture, Professor Christian Franck talks about the use of computer-assisted imaging as well as mechanical engineering to be able to visualize secondary lesions in the brain. These biological responses to injury are much more difficult to detect and require the use of sophisticated software. Research has shown that the compression and tension of an impact will affect neurons and cause the production of different proteins indicating damage. The program sought to be able to develop predictive simulations of head trauma using data from biological tests. This would be a computer model that predicts the outcome of injuries based on the impact and strain and stress it would cause on neurons. A database could also be created and referenced to help understand severity. This would allow a better diagnosis immediately after contact. If you can match a previously performed simulation with the impact on the person, there is a good chance you can get an accurate diagnosis with more technical evidence for thesustain. Automatic imaging, typically to track biological changes, can also be used. . It was measured the pathophysiological changes that the body undergoes after brain trauma. Markers such as altered neural membrane conductivity, glucose metabolism, or altered cerebral blood flow can all be traced. These changes are not well understood at present, and much data comes from animal experiments, but human testing may be possible in the future. These would be monitored using medical imaging. Although more familiar tests like MRI and CT scans can be helpful in identifying fractures or brain hemorrhages, they are not very helpful in diagnosing a concussion. A different test called functional MRI (fMRI), however, may be helpful. These tests can track magnetic differences in the blood based on the amount of oxygen it contains and use this to detect differences in cortical networks. fMRI scans revealed differences in cortical networks in concussed individuals compared to baseline. Quantitative EEG has been presented as a tool to detect physiological changes after concussion. This is a method where you would need baseline data beforehand, so that post-concussion data can be compared to it. The researchers used the Shannon entropy of peak frequency shift to analyze EEGs and found reduced values ​​in several parts of the brain. The differences in the EEGs had disappeared forty-five days after the concussion. Technologies such as magnetoencephalography (MEG) could also be useful in mapping the brain. As the name suggests, this machine uses the electrical impulse of neurons to track changes in the magnetic field to give us an image. MEG is less distorted by physical obstacles, such as hair, and can therefore yield better maps of the brain based on electrical activity. The disadvantages of these methods would be that they are expensive and difficult to use in a non-medical setting. Basic mental tests like the King-Devick (KD) tool are widely used to assess concussions in schools and organized sports. This measures the speed of rapid number naming by asking participants to read three number cards that look different as quickly as they can. These tests are then timed and averaged taking into account errors. The Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) is also a computerized visual assessment that places results on the Post-Concussion Symptoms Scale. This is a combination of other methods and no reliability reports have yet been made. The SCAT offers short-term and long-term recall tests and goes a little more in-depth than a KD test. A more physical test is called a modified repeated high intensity endurance test (RHIET). The RHIET found a statistically significant difference in KD scores before and after testing, indicating that KD would be lower if taken immediately after an athlete was removed from play for testing. Even with this slight disadvantage, the KD was able to identify asymptomatic players who were still suffering from a concussion. New Zealand researchers conducted a study in which they combined these three elements to test them in rugby league. They asked evaluated athletes to complete a pre-assessment that included a history of concussions, a baseline scale of post-concussion symptoms.