Brain Injury Can Cause Rebound Effects

Brain cells can cause a chain reaction when there is an injury, that stops activity across a vast network of neural circuits.

Brain cells can cause a chain reaction when there is an injury, that stops activity across a vast network of neural circuits, according to new research from Oregon Health & Science University, published in the journal Neuron.

"Even the so-called bystander neurons that aren't injured or diseased can sense there's been an injury and radically change their function. That means that it's not just the broken neurons that are affected when you have a nervous system injury - it's maybe all of the neurons", said senior author Marc Freeman, Ph.D., director of the Vollum Institute at OHSU.

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‘Brain cells can cause a chain reaction when there is an injury, that stops activity across a vast network of neural circuits. This mechanism is suggested to help the brain conserve large amounts of energy following a disease or injury, which is revived after the injury clears.’

This describes the reason why traumatic brain injury or disease results in temporary but severe loss of cognitive function.

The bystander effect :

Research on the fruit fly Drosophila demonstrated that the relatively minimal injury to a small number of axons in a larger bundle rippled out beyond the severed axons. This also suppressed the sensory signals among neurons that weren't directly damaged.

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This bystander effect was attributed to response to glial cells, the abundant but oftentimes overlooked supporting cell within the brain. The study suggests that this brain response helps in conserving large amounts of energy following a disease or injury, which is revived after the injury clears.

"Our best guess is that it allows the nervous system to pause after an injury. It enables cells to assess their status and, if they're not healthy, activate programs to destroy themselves. If they're healthy, they recover", says Freeman.

Test your Knowledge on Brain Injury
Injury to the head or brain can have a short-term as well as long-term effects. Trauma to the brain is common in young adults, as well as in the elderly due to falls. Besides trauma, other conditions like reduced oxygen supply to the brain or the presence of toxins can also injure the brain. Test your knowledge on brain injury by taking this quiz.

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Head Injury | Brain Injury Overview Types Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Head injury or traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of disability among children and young adults that leads to varying degrees of physical and mental stability. Fortunately, it is also one of the preventable brain disorder.