1. A concussion is a mild brain injury; it can also be described as a head injury with temporary loss of brain function, which can cause cognitive, physical and emotional symptoms. A traumatic brain injury usually results from a violent blow or jolt to the head or body. Traumatic brain injury occurs when an external mechanical force causes brain dysfunction.
2. It is hard to diagnose because it doesn’t really affect the gray mater, rather it affects the deeper white mater, which doesn’t show on MRI’s. Another reason is because the injury cannot be seen like a broken leg.
3. Mild brain injury can often damage the "white matter" of the brain. The recovery from this damage isn’t always quick and can sometimes be considered “uneven repair.” The connections could also be disrupted. Since gray matter is most of your brain, damage to it can cause severe side effects.
4. A DTI or a diffusion MRI is a scan that allows the mapping of the diffusion process of molecules, mainly water, in biological tissues, in vivo and non-invasively. The basic function is to allow imaging of the brain and can show white matter.
5. A camera watches the person’s eye movement as they watch a laser bounce around the screen. The person has to pay attention to the target as it moves. Someone without a concussion will follow it perfectly, but someone who had one will have breaks in theirs.
6. Multiple concussions over months or years may result in cumulative neuropsychological deficits. Repeated concussions over a short period may lead to the second impact syndrome. In this syndrome, a concussion sustained while an athlete is still symptomatic from an earlier concussion results in progressive cerebral edema.