Helmets and Mouth Guards: the Role of Personal Equipment in Preventing Sport- Related Concussions
Helmets and Mouth Guards: The Role of Personal Equipment in Preventing Sport- Related Concussions a, a Daniel H. Daneshvar, MA *, Christine M. Baugh, AB , a,b a Christopher J. Nowinski, AB , Ann C. McKee, MD , a a,b,c,d,e Robert A. Stern, PhD , Robert C. Cantu, MD KEYWORDS Concussion Equipment Helmet Headgear Mouth guard Face shield Sport Because the brain is freely floating within the cerebrospinal fluid, it moves at a rate that is different from that of the skull in response to a collision.1 This discrepancy can result in a collision between the brain and skull, either on the side of the impact, coup, or opposite the impact, contrecoup.2 The high-speed deceleration associated with these impacts may also result in stretching of the long axons at the base of the brain, result- ing in diffuse axonal injury.3 Depending on the extent of these injuries, neurologic dysfunction may be observed.4 Every year, approximately 1.7 million people in the United States are hospitalized or die as a result of a traumatic brain injury (TBI).5 These figures, however, are thought to This work was supported by the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center NIA P30 AG13846, supplement 0572063345-5, the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Federation of State High School Associations, the American Football Coaches Association, and the Sports Legacy Institute. The authors have nothing to disclose. a Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, Department of Neurology, Boston Univer- sity School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, B7800, Boston, MA 02118, USA b Sports Legacy Institute, PO Box 181225, Boston, MA 02118, USA c Department of Neurosurgery, Boston University School of Medicine, 720 Harrison Avenue # 710, Boston, MA 02118, USA d Department of Surgery, Emerson Hospital, John Cuming Building, Suite 820, 131 ORNAC, Concord, MA 01742, USA e Neurologic Sports Injury Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA * Corresponding author.
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