The 2015 filmConcussionportrayed the turbulent journeying of pathologist Dr Bennet Omalu as he uncovered how repeat psychic trauma to the brain , as seen in American football player , could lead to devastate neurodegenerative disorders . It was seven years before the National Football League ( NFL ) would accept the association and a wealth of enquiry has since followed in the wake of Omalu ’s find . Now , new research is guess to have insulate a possible mechanism through which multiple concussion and traumatic brain wound ( TBI ) can lead to neurodegenerative disorders as they break up the brainpower ’s power to cleanse itself of toxins and dust .
The survey , print in the journalNature Communications , used experimental mouse models to enquire the influence of TBI on wit function . They observe that even mild configuration of brain injury could importantly deflower the brain’sglymphatic system of rules , the functional tract through which it clears itself of waste . The effects were seen within hours following injury and persisted for at least one month and are consider to be the termination of increased intracranial force per unit area that commonly follows head trauma .
The researchers go on to show that pre - existing glymphatic disfunction , be it from natural factors or a previous injury , can lead in worse outcomes from accidental injury through the same mechanism , increasing the risk of negative cognitive outcome for those sustaining repeat harm . The written report suggests this could also explicate why some the great unwashed are more badly affected by a setback to the point than others .
The resolution are of implication for athletes that participate in tangency sports such as American football , as they indicate the importance of appropriate rest period menses between injury , which could make a devastating disruption to players ’ careers . However , by taking the necessary breaks between hurt , they could be spar of impaired cognitive function afterward in spirit .
Glymphatic impairment is recall to lead to a host of debilitating mental impairments , include Alzheimer ’s disease , dementedness , and chronic traumatic encephalopathy ( CTE ) , the condition that Omalu identified in his research regarding NFL player . As such , understanding the mechanism through which concussions cause these illnesses and how to repress their likelihood has the potential to protect athlete and phallus of the military from life - alter injury and disease .
" This allow for some of the best grounds yet that if you have n’t recuperate from a brain injury and you get hit in the headspring again , you ’re going to have even more severe consequences , " said John Lukens , from the University of Virginia ’s Department of Neuroscience and the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia , in astatement . " This reinforces the idea that you have to give people an chance to heal . And if you do n’t , you ’re putting yourself at a much gamey risk for long - term consequences that you might not see in a year but could see in a distich of ten . "
