Thread by @bowtiedkobra

🚨 Concussion Metabolic Cascade Thread 🚨

Everyone knows what a #concussion is but nobody knows what's actually going on

We'll break down what's going on in the brain metabolically post concussion

This will be highly autistic and a gross oversimplification at the same time

👇

When there is a biomechanical injury to the brain, the response is as follows:

Glutamate (an excitatory amino acid) binds with
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)

This causes depolarization of the neuron

This depolarization then causes potassium to leave the cell in high volume

As potassium leaves, this allows calcium to enter

Calcium in the neuron impairs neuro connectivity

This rapid flow of calcium and potassium taxes the sodium-potassium pump greatly

The pump being overworked leads to a larger need for ATP as ATP is now in a deficit

This is how creatine assists with a concussion as it increases ATP (yes oversimplified but not a creatine thread)

This triggers a dramatic increase in glucose metabolism

This increase in metabolism occurs in a setting where there is decreased cerebral blood flow

Now we have oxidative stress that further complicates the issue as glucose is being consumed at an advanced rate

The net negative of glucose in the system triggers an energy crisis

The energy crisis is what causes the increase in vulnerability to the head post concussion

In addition to glucose depletion, magnesium is depleted from the system for 4 days

Magnesium improves motor function so you can see how the absence leads to textbook concussion symptoms (balance and coordination issues, loss of fine skills acutely)

Low levels of magnesium unblock NMDA which then causes a greater influx of calcium (not good)

Supplementing magnesium can greatly reduce concussion symptoms and speed up healing times

See
@Grimhood
for magnesium protocols

It takes 2 days for calcium levels to peak and 4 days to return to normal

Neurons have the ability to heal themselves during this 4 day period assuming there is no additional trauma

This is why protection from additional trauma is key for head injuries early on

A 2nd traumatic brain injury that occurs before the first one has healed can lead to permanent neuron death (real bad)

This is a huge concern for athletes

If you can take away one thing from this let it be the following:

A concussion is a metabolic condition of the brain that needs 4 days minimally to properly heal from

Creatine and magnesium are neuro protective and should be taken daily regardless of activity level

That's it.

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