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http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/12/...ma-fighter-science-interview-ko-jaw-ktfo-news
Great shit
Except:
Dr. Tator stated that it’s likely there is a gene responsible for why some brains concuss easier than others. However, science has yet to identify it. He also explained that brains vary quite a lot in size, person to person, but there’s no link between brain size and tolerance to concussion. CSF, the goop that bathes our brain, doesn’t change much from one person to another either, and is thus unlikely to be a factor.
So, brains do differ quite a lot between people in their ability to withstand force.Fighter X may take a punch better than fighter Y, purely because they have a ‘tougher’ brain. But, today’s science is a bit baffled as to why this is the case.
Yet, the brain alone isn’t the only reasons why some fighters have better ‘chins’ or ‘beards’ than others.There are other factors beyond the brain itself.
A logical thought may be that fighters with thicker or harder skulls would be better equipped to brush off a right hook or a spinning head kick. But that’s simply not the case.
“I don’t believe skull thickness matters. Because it’s the jiggle inside that causes the concussion. So it doesn’t really matter how thick the skull is and, in fact, that’s why helmets don’t really protect from concussions. No matter how thick the helmet is, the brain is still going to jiggle inside,” explained Dr. Tator, noting that helmets do protect against lineal acceleration based injuries (brain bleeds, bruises, etc.).
“Generally a blow to the jaw, that sets the head in motion, is a very effective way of knocking someone out,” confirmed Dr. Tator. “But [receiving a concussion] doesn’t seem to depend on the actual structure or thickness of the jaw, but the way the blow is delivered to the jaw.”
No more saying, ‘that girl has a hell of a chin!’ or ‘man, that dude’s chin is shot,’ - it seems.
What about diet? Does what someone puts into their body affect their chances of getting knocked out? Apparently not. “There are a lot of dietary supplements being advertised to protect against concussion, but there’s no evidence that they work,” cautioned Dr. Tator.
And dehydration? Stories linger in combat sports about dehydrated fighters increasing their risk of brain damage from brutal weight cuts. “I’m not sure about that,” said Dr. Tator. He reasoned that if the volume of the brain reduced during dehydration, it would jiggle more violently within the CSF, but he’s not sure if the brain would shrink at all.
Age has to be a factor, right? Well, At certain ages human beings are way more susceptible to concussions. But, it turns out that those ages are your late teens - when the brain is expanding dramatically. There is also an increased risk factor in the elderly. But beyond those extremes, brains are more or less the same.
Though age may not affect a brain and it’s ability to be concussed, wear-and-tear most definitely does. After receiving your first concussion, the chances of sustaining a second rises. After the second, it rises further, and so on.
“The stronger the neck muscles, the less jiggle of the brain within the head, from a blow to anywhere on the head or jaw.”
“If a person’s number of concussions goes up, the susceptibility to concussion goes up,” said Dr. Tator. “The amount of force necessary to cause a concussion goes down as well.”
tldr
Something something something Conor.
Great shit
Except:
Dr. Tator stated that it’s likely there is a gene responsible for why some brains concuss easier than others. However, science has yet to identify it. He also explained that brains vary quite a lot in size, person to person, but there’s no link between brain size and tolerance to concussion. CSF, the goop that bathes our brain, doesn’t change much from one person to another either, and is thus unlikely to be a factor.
So, brains do differ quite a lot between people in their ability to withstand force.Fighter X may take a punch better than fighter Y, purely because they have a ‘tougher’ brain. But, today’s science is a bit baffled as to why this is the case.
Yet, the brain alone isn’t the only reasons why some fighters have better ‘chins’ or ‘beards’ than others.There are other factors beyond the brain itself.
A logical thought may be that fighters with thicker or harder skulls would be better equipped to brush off a right hook or a spinning head kick. But that’s simply not the case.
“I don’t believe skull thickness matters. Because it’s the jiggle inside that causes the concussion. So it doesn’t really matter how thick the skull is and, in fact, that’s why helmets don’t really protect from concussions. No matter how thick the helmet is, the brain is still going to jiggle inside,” explained Dr. Tator, noting that helmets do protect against lineal acceleration based injuries (brain bleeds, bruises, etc.).
“Generally a blow to the jaw, that sets the head in motion, is a very effective way of knocking someone out,” confirmed Dr. Tator. “But [receiving a concussion] doesn’t seem to depend on the actual structure or thickness of the jaw, but the way the blow is delivered to the jaw.”
No more saying, ‘that girl has a hell of a chin!’ or ‘man, that dude’s chin is shot,’ - it seems.
What about diet? Does what someone puts into their body affect their chances of getting knocked out? Apparently not. “There are a lot of dietary supplements being advertised to protect against concussion, but there’s no evidence that they work,” cautioned Dr. Tator.
And dehydration? Stories linger in combat sports about dehydrated fighters increasing their risk of brain damage from brutal weight cuts. “I’m not sure about that,” said Dr. Tator. He reasoned that if the volume of the brain reduced during dehydration, it would jiggle more violently within the CSF, but he’s not sure if the brain would shrink at all.
Age has to be a factor, right? Well, At certain ages human beings are way more susceptible to concussions. But, it turns out that those ages are your late teens - when the brain is expanding dramatically. There is also an increased risk factor in the elderly. But beyond those extremes, brains are more or less the same.
Though age may not affect a brain and it’s ability to be concussed, wear-and-tear most definitely does. After receiving your first concussion, the chances of sustaining a second rises. After the second, it rises further, and so on.
“The stronger the neck muscles, the less jiggle of the brain within the head, from a blow to anywhere on the head or jaw.”
“If a person’s number of concussions goes up, the susceptibility to concussion goes up,” said Dr. Tator. “The amount of force necessary to cause a concussion goes down as well.”
tldr
Something something something Conor.
