Concussion effects detailed on microscopic level
Researchers at The Ohio State University examined the effects of laboratory-induced mild traumatic brain injury on rodent brain tissue and found rapid microscopic swelling along the axons -- the long and slender part of the nerve cell that sends vital messages to other parts of the brain. Similar swellings are seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. "We think based on our study in an animal model and in the lab that it's highly likely that when a person has a concussion some of the neurons swell within a few seconds, much more rapidly than we expected," said study author Chen Gu, an associate professor of biological chemistry and pharmacology. The good news: These swollen spots along the axons are reversible, Gu and his collaborators found. Their study appears in the Journal of Cell Biology . "When we stop the mechanical stress, the swelling actually disappears within minutes and the axon can recover. This is cr...