Concussions in the news affect ISU head injury policy
Alex Lawson
Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: News
Recent developments in the investigation of the crimes of wrestler Chris Benoit have shown that his actions may have been the result of prolonged brain damage from his years in the ring.
Karri Miller, assistant trainer for ISU athletics, describes the new policy for treating head injuries.
"We now have an objective test, where each athlete is given a computerized test of their cognitive abilities," Miller said. "We pretest every athlete before the season, and then if they sustain a head injury, we can give them a post test and compare the results."
In the Benoit case, it has been theorized that his many head injuries suffered in the ring caused him to have an emotional breakdown and murder his wife and child, then himself. Dr. Joseph Casto, neuroscience professor in the research & sponsored program department, says that head trauma leading to violent outbursts is not totally uncommon.
"I'm sure anyone who's taken a psychology class has heard about Phineas Gage," Casto said. "He was working at a rail yard and got a large spike lodged through his skull. There were lots of documented abnormalities with him after that and I believe some of them were violent in nature."
Casto also went on to say that violent outbursts in the case specific to Benoit are unlikely.
"While the protein deposits in the brain of Chris Benoit were similar to those associated with some neurodegenerative diseases, it's important to note that it is very rare for people with those diseases to behave as Benoit did," Casto said.
Dr. Edward Pegg, a neurologist with a special interest in sports medicine, speaks to this phenomenon as an ever-changing understanding of the human brain.
"In the last 10 years, our understanding of what a concussion is has come a long way," Pegg said. "Back then a concussion was a loss of consciousness, now we know that when somebody gets 'their bell rung' or gets 'dinged' or 'sees stars' those are concussions also."
Karri Miller, assistant trainer for ISU athletics, describes the new policy for treating head injuries.
"We now have an objective test, where each athlete is given a computerized test of their cognitive abilities," Miller said. "We pretest every athlete before the season, and then if they sustain a head injury, we can give them a post test and compare the results."
In the Benoit case, it has been theorized that his many head injuries suffered in the ring caused him to have an emotional breakdown and murder his wife and child, then himself. Dr. Joseph Casto, neuroscience professor in the research & sponsored program department, says that head trauma leading to violent outbursts is not totally uncommon.
"I'm sure anyone who's taken a psychology class has heard about Phineas Gage," Casto said. "He was working at a rail yard and got a large spike lodged through his skull. There were lots of documented abnormalities with him after that and I believe some of them were violent in nature."
Casto also went on to say that violent outbursts in the case specific to Benoit are unlikely.
"While the protein deposits in the brain of Chris Benoit were similar to those associated with some neurodegenerative diseases, it's important to note that it is very rare for people with those diseases to behave as Benoit did," Casto said.
Dr. Edward Pegg, a neurologist with a special interest in sports medicine, speaks to this phenomenon as an ever-changing understanding of the human brain.
"In the last 10 years, our understanding of what a concussion is has come a long way," Pegg said. "Back then a concussion was a loss of consciousness, now we know that when somebody gets 'their bell rung' or gets 'dinged' or 'sees stars' those are concussions also."
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