It’s one way to exercise your skull: Recurrent concussions can make a person’s skull thicker and denser, studies find
- Researchers found that the skull may self-reinforce after a person suffers a concussion
- Dropping weights on the heads of rats, the research team found that those that were most traumatized had thicker and denser skulls
- Why this phenomenon occurs has yet to be explained, and experts don’t know if the reinforced skulls protect the brain
- Repeated head injuries have been linked to serious neurological problems such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Repeated head injuries make the skull both thicker and denser, according to a new study — though researchers aren’t sure if a more heavily armored skull actually offers additional protection.
Researchers at Monash University in Clayton, Australia, found that rats that had small weights dropped on their heads to stimulate concussion symptoms had stronger skulls after they recovered.
They speculate that this is the body working to strengthen its defenses of the brain – an animal’s most important organ. The research team couldn’t determine if the extra thickness actually makes future brain trauma less likely.
Concussion and brain trauma are well-studied topics, but little research has been done on the body’s natural response to them — and on possible built-in safeguards we may already have against injury.
The researchers dropped small weights on the heads of rats and found that there was a clear correlation between head trauma sustained and the thickness and density of the skulls. The rats were divided into three groups, each of which suffered a different degree of head trauma
“We have ignored the potential impact of the skull on how concussions can affect the brain,” Bridgette Semple, associate professor at Monash, said in a statement.
“These new findings underscore that the skull may be an important factor influencing the outcome of repeated concussions for individuals.”
Researchers, who published their findings in Scientific Reports last week, collected 37 rats for the study.
The rodents were divided into four groups. Three of the groups were hit to the head with different blows to simulate different degrees of concussion and brain injury.
A fourth placebo group was not hit with major effects, in what the research team called a “sham” weight.
Small weights, each 250 grams, were attached to a jig and dropped onto the rats from a height of about one meter. Rats were subjected to head trauma every 24 hours.
The rats were then screened to measure brain health and bone density. A clear correlation has been found between harder impacts and the thickness and density of a person’s skull.
Researchers aren’t sure why this is happening and what it actually means.
“It’s a bit of a mystery,” Semple said.
“As we know, repeated concussions can have negative consequences for brain structure and function. Regardless, a concussion is never a good thing.’
How repetitive head injuries affect the brain has been well studied by neurology experts, but little research exists on the role the skull plays in stopping repetitive head injuries
They plan to conduct further research into how repeated head injuries may affect the brain’s skeletal protection.
Concussions are relatively serious traumatic brain injuries caused by a blow or blow to the head.
Even a concussion can cause significant brain injury and have lasting effects on a person’s cognition and overall health.
Repeated concussions can lead to severe neurodegeneration. Many athletes particularly struggle with medical conditions related to head injuries.
Soccer players, boxers, and others who engage in high-contact sports often struggle with post-playing chronic traumatic encephalopathy — also known as “punch intoxication.”
