Concussions and Sports

This video from the PBS show NOVA science NOW is hosted by Neil DeGrasse Tyson who examines the issue of concussions in high school and college sports. The video is about 12 minutes long and features several neuroscientists and doctors who discuss how impact trauma can damage normally healthy brains.

This video, Sidelined: Sports Concussions, focuses specifically on high school athletes who have experienced concussions, and features a neuropsychologist who works with students trying to recover from brain trauma. The video is about 11 minutes long and also addresses some of the social concerns regarding athlete safety and health.

This is the website for the Brain Trauma Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness about various forms of brain injury and available treatments. This page features several short videos that discuss concussions, and has links to various informative articles as well. You may want to start by watching some of the videos, or clicking on the More about Concussions link and reading.

Sports can be a lot of fun and a great way to exercise, but some activities put young people at risk for potentially serious brain damage. Concussions can seem minor, but their impact on the brain can add up over time and even affect your ability to think and pay attention.

Key Questions:

How do concussions in sports typically occur?

What are some of the short and long term effects of a concussion?

What happens to the brain after a concussion occurs?

Vocabulary Terms:

concussion traumatic brain injury M.R.I. white matter D.T.I.