CONCUSSION

Take a pill and avoid concussion? Scientists are working on a ground-breaking drug which could finally curb the disabling symptoms that can develop following even mild concussions.

The brain has a protective case, but sharp blows can rupture membranes and cause chemical chaos. Could a new cannabis-based pill reduce concussion’s after-effects?

The cyclist speeds down the cobblestone road, and though the shopping in his handlebar basket bounces up and down, his brain is at rest, safe behind a thick skull and protected by fluid which absorbs all blows and motions. But all this changes dramatically as a door of a parked car suddenly opens. The cyclist hits the door and flies over the handlebars, his head hitting the tarmac road with the impact of all of his mass and momentum.

The severe blow is more than the fluid can protect against, so that the soft, fragile brain tissue is forced against the hard inside of the skull, recoiling back to hit the back of the braincase. The two collisions stretch and twist the brain cells. Their cell membranes leak, and neurotransmitters flow freely in and out. The result is chemical chaos that will initially paralyse the brain causing a moment of unconsciousness, and which could continue to drain the brain cells for weeks or months, so that the cyclist will have difficulties thinking and focusing.

Today, doctors can only help the victims by recommending peace and rest, but scientists from the University of Miami and elsewhere are on the track of a pill that would prevent the brain’s chemical processes from going berserk following such a hard blow – and so has the potential of curbing the severe symptoms that might follow.

Men and children often affected

Some 0.5% of the world population is estimated to suffer concussion annually as a result of falls, accidents, sports injuries, or violence. The true number is probably much higher, since many people find it