Concussion Research from Multiple Angles

    Research on traumatic brain injuries carry a weight that is unlike other forms of physical injury. Other injuries might cause mental strife, but brain injuries carry real trauma that affects mental functioning. Concussions, in particular, do not have a diagnostic criteria that is able to diagnose all levels of injury, and some may never recover. Currently, research is being conducted to assess what good baseline levels of cognitive functioning are and how concussions deviate from that baseline. In particular, I attended a neuroscience seminar in which Dr. Krizman presented her findings from the paper Auditory biological marker of  concussion in children (Kraus et. all). 

    What struck me the most about her findings was the novelty of the angle in which it was presented. The lab studied high-contact sports college students. She explained that the auditory system connects with various other parts of the brain, and thus, it is easier to diagnose concussions based on auditory markers. For example, the ability for someone to make out a single sound in a room full of sounds when paying attention to it and also understanding it. These two processes require different parts of the brain, but when visualized in brain wave data form, people with concussions not only have a harder time processing the sound but also understanding it. Her lab even found that rhythm exercises could play a role in concussion treatments and speed up recovery back to baseline levels!

    This lead me to become curious about other angles of concussion research. Surely other scientists have attempted similar or different angles of concussion research and treatment. I found a recent article: "Hard-Hitting research: Transforming concussion diagnosis" from W Magazine in Western Michigan University. It seems that the current forces are aimed towards attempting to find an all-encompassing diagnostic criteria, or so I've found. The researchers are developing eye-tracking techniques, balancing techniques, and using active recall to assess cognitive faculties. All of these methods are aimed towards concussion diagnosis and treatment. I wonder if vision has as much to do with concussions as auditory processing is. It is an interesting question! They say that they see their research as promising and are looking forward to what it has to uncover. The article also points out that currently, concussions are "undetectable to the naked eye and nearly impossible to capture in medical imaging" (Flynn). 

    Their research, however, is primarily focusing on treating people with concussions that are over the age of 65. They have a team of physical therapists with them as well. They believe that concussions can worsen symptoms that the elderly already deal with, but also make it even the more difficult to diagnose them because of their already-diagnosed cognitive disorders and illnesses. 

    Overall, it is extremely interesting to see the different angles that concussion research has been looked at and I am hopeful for the future of treatments for both young people and the elderly!

References:

“Hard-Hitting Research: Transforming Concussion Diagnosis.” Hard-Hitting Research: Transforming Concussion Diagnosis | W Magazine | Western Michigan University, Western Michigan University, 26 Mar. 2025, wmich.edu/magazine/news/2025/03/hard-hitting-research-concussion-diagnosis.

Kraus, Nina, et al. “Auditory Biological Marker of Concussion in Children.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 22 Dec. 2016, www.nature.com/articles/srep39009.