Implications of concussion in sport

‘Concussion is the public health issue of our time and the most common form of brain injury’, this was the message iterated by brain injury specialists Acquired Brain Injury Ireland in Leinster House recently, at the hearings on the Implications of Concussion in Sport, held by the Joint Committee on Health and Children.

Speaking at the hearing was Barbara O’ Connell, CEO Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, she said, “Campaigning about concussion is a call for a change in concussion education and guidelines, along with an increased awareness among young players, coaches and parents.

Dublin football player and ABI Ireland Ambassador Michael Darragh Macauley was also present at Leinster house to talk about concussion from a players perspective; he said “As players we are our own worst enemies when it comes to sitting out with a concussion. Aconcussed player has impaired decision making when you are asking them are they fine, so we are in no fit state to make the correct call. The decision for a player to sit out after a knock to the head must be decided by the coach or management team. Don’t leave the decision up to us – Take us out of the game”.

Less than 10% of concussions are actual knock-outs, leaving 90% of concussions to be detected by the coach or reported by the player. To tackle the concussion crisis we must give players, coaches and parents the tools to recognise the signs and symptoms of a concussed player; and get these players off the pitch.

Report Implications of Concussion in Sport 

View full press release here

NUI Galway Hold Public Information Event for Brain Awareness Week

As part of the international Brain Awareness Week, staff and students of NUI Galway’s Neuroscience Centre are organising a public information exhibit in the Aula Maxima, Quadrangle on Tuesday, 11 and Wednesday, 12 March from 9am to 3.30pm.

Members of the public and children from local schools will have the opportunity to visit the exhibit to learn more about how the brain and nervous system work. 

The exhibit consists of interactive displays where visitors can learn more about the nervous system in a hands-on way.  For example, there will be various puzzles and tests of hand-eye coordination, visual perception, left/right handedness, creativity and many others.

Approximately 180 million Europeans are thought to suffer from a brain disorder, at a total cost of almost €800 billion per annum. 

At the event in NUI Galway general information about the brain will be available to visitors with the opportunity to learn more about brain disorders, via a series of large information posters prepared by the staff and postgraduate students of NUI Galway Neuroscience Centre. The posters cover a variety of illnesses including: Epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Pain, Anxiety, Depression, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, Stroke, Brain injury and Spinal cord injury.

Read more here

Concussion in sport - European conference

First Brain Injury and Sport - European Conference:                 
Tackling the concussion crisis Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, in association with EBIS (European Brain Injury Society) will host a ‘Brain Injury and Sport’ conference at the Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin on Friday 13th December 2013. Educating players, coaches and clinicians about concussion management and return to play guidelines; ABI Ireland and EBIS are bringing together a panel of expert speakers to discuss the growing concern surrounding the head injury. For more information see www.braininjuryandsport.ie

Concussion in Sport - view editorial in The Lancet here

 Sports-related concussions in youth: improving the science, changing the culture released on Oct 30 by the US Institute of Medicine and National Research Council—focuses on concussions in young people between 5 and 21 years of age. Incidence data are far from definitive, but the report cites estimates of between 1·6 million and 3·8 million traumatic brain injuries related to sports and leisure in the USA per year, and National Collegiate Athletic Association data suggest that sports-related concussions have increased in recent decades. Information on the long-term health sequelae of concussions in young people is also patchy.

However, the report authors highlight that the ongoing development of the brain might affect susceptibility to, and recovery from, concussion. Concussion can result in physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep problems: typically recovery takes 2 weeks, although persistence of symptoms for periods of up to years has been reported. Worryingly, previous concussions are associated with an increased risk of further concussions, and there is evidence that repeated concussions increase the number and severity of symptoms.