The Five Pillars of Concussion
- Mark J. Lynn
- Sep 18
- 1 min read
By: Carol L. Henricks
A concussion has a unique clinical presentation and can be difficult to diagnose.
Many different kinds of injuries may cause a concussion, including assaults,
blasts, falls, car accidents and other accidents. It is important to know if you
have had a brain injury such as a concussion versus an emotional reaction to your
circumstances.
Concussion causes primarily diffuse brain injury, not localized brain injury, for
example like a stroke. Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a common neuropathological correlate of concussion. Axons are like wires that connect brain cells, and when they are
damaged, the integrated network systems of the brain experience disconnection. When
the networks have a lot of disconnections, the functions of the brain are slowed and
may be inaccurate like an old glitchy computer.
There are five categories of neurological symptoms that are typically affected by
concussion that may persist. The five pillars of concussion are visual function; attention/concentration/memory/cognitive function; sleep; balance and emotions. There is
variability in the clinical presentation of these symptom categories.
Read the rest of Dr. Henricks article below!