Citation

Akins JD, Brothers RM. Exp. Physiol. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, The Physiological Society, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1113/EP091352

PMID

37551823

Abstract

As a vital organ controlling numerous bodily processes, the brain remains heavily studied for its role in blood pressure regulation, ventilation, motor processing and hunger among countless others. However, repeated trauma to the brain may result in irreversible damage that interferes with these vital processes. Such trauma may occur in daily life, though recent attention has focused on individuals participating in contact sports. Indeed, for nearly a century, the effects of subconcussive and concussive impacts/injuries to the head have been described in individuals across various sports including boxing, rugby, American football, ice hockey and martial arts (Gallo et al., 2020). Research has attempted to better understand the underlying physiological (e.g., autonomic, vascular), neurocognitive and psychiatric changes that accompany these head impacts/injuries (Ellis et al., 2016; Gallo et al., 2020). However, few, if any, studies to date have linked the cascade of events, including biomolecular pathways, vascular dysfunction and neurocognitive impairment, secondary to concussive injuries and how these factors change following a lifetime of exposure...

Language: en

Keywords

concussion; brain blood flow; neurocognitive function