Concussions typically cause vision problems, disorientation, memory loss, headaches, balance issues, and a host of other ailments as the circuits that undergird these functions go down. But different parts of the brain can be affected. The brain twists, the circuits can break, and the damage sends the brain into crisis. Thanks to further research into concussions, we now know that, in about 90 percent of diagnosed concussions, there is no loss of consciousness.ĭuring any severe blow to the head, the same thing is happening. People used to think that if you didn’t lose consciousness, you didn’t have to worry about being concussed.
What is the difference between being knocked out and suffering a concussion? If the part of the brainstem responsible for consciousness is affected, then you would be knocked out. That twisting and pulling can cause brain circuits to break, or lose their insulation, or get kinked up, and that shuts off parts of the brain. The heaviest part of the brain puts a lot of pressure on the brainstem, which can be twisted and pulled during the blow as the rest of the brain moves out of place. When the head is moved violently, the brain moves around in the skull. The two hemispheres are heavy, and the brainstem connecting the two hemispheres to the rest of the nervous system is narrow, like the stem of a flower. But a blow to the head can also cause a disruption that could lead to a loss of consciousness. Brain activity can be affected by a number of things - oxygen can be cut off to certain parts, or a blood vessel might burst. You can also lose consciousness if part of the brainstem is knocked offline. You can lose consciousness if both hemispheres are turned off at once - though if only one is affected, the other can pick up some of the slack. There’s the left hemisphere, the right hemisphere, and the brainstem at the bottom. What does it mean to be knocked unconscious? Christopher Giza, professor of pediatric neurology and neurosurgery at UCLA, explains what happens when you’re knocked out, how it’s different from the average concussion, and the best course of action following a knock-out blow. A knockout blow is a traumatic brain injury or concussion, but not every concussion means a loss of consciousness.
You’ve seen it on television - a character on a show or a professional athlete on the field receives a sharp blow to the head, and crumples on the ground, completely unconscious.