Banging toward depression

Eddy donc by Éole Wind

by Luka Laden

From mysterious condition to hot-button medical issue, concussions have moved into the forefront of the conversation when sports and athletes are involved. Now that more and more young people are choosing to play football, basketball, and soccer, embracing the status of being a dedicated athlete, more and more young people are also at risk of sustaining a blow to the head and suffering from subsequent brain trauma, more commonly known as a concussion. While some of the symptoms usually associated with concussions, like dizziness, blurry vision, and nausea are well-known, the long-term impact of head trauma is the topic of many new studies, which attempt to clear up the true significance of brain trauma for young athletes. We know that migraines, ranging from mild and infrequent to severe and persistent, can result from head injuries, for obvious reasons, but are there more serious problems when a concussion is sustained?Compared to other injuries, such as a torn ankle ligament or sprained wrist, concussions are very unique in that the symptoms, as well as the duration of these symptoms, are so unpredictable and wide-ranging. Full recovery may take a few days, but it may also take several months. Some athletes never fully recover. We already know what’s common, but how bad can things get? Unfortunately, the indications aren’t very promising.

Several studies have shown that people who have sustained one or more concussions may experience greater difficulties involving emotion. Three studies in particular, documented by Jennie Ponsford, Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, and Robert J. Ferguson (among others), tracked symptom reports submitted by large groups of patients suffering from post-concussion syndrome (PCS), as well as reports of expected PCS symptoms submitted by non-injured participants in contact sports, who made up the control group. The specific focus of these studies was the emotional toll of brain injuries, as the injured subjects reported on their altered feelings and tendencies following their concussions. In fact, most of the injured subjects reported that they had noticed a negative effect on their respective personalities and emotional traits because of brain trauma, ranging from moodiness and irritability to sadness and a lack of enthusiasm. The symptom reports showed a common pessimism among the injured subjects, in terms of their changed emotional states of mind. As a result of these reports, emotional symptoms of irritability, moodiness, and depression were linked to head trauma among athletes (Moser, 2007). The subjects in these studies demonstrated that there appears to be a tangible connection between brain injuries and symptoms that resemble depression and emotional instability. If indeed true, these findings are far more worrisome than a minor headache or a little bit of lightheadedness. When sustaining a concussion, being at risk for some form of depression down the road must be an important consideration for an athlete deciding when and whether to return to the playing field or court. It has been found that, only three months after the injury, a concussed athlete tends to suffer from concurrent anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress, all of which may lead to prolonged depression (Ponsford, 2012). In the short run, concussions can carry severe emotional consequences and the threat of a snowballing downward spiral of persistent depression is rather ominous and scary. Even worse, the greater problem with concussions revolves around the fact that symptoms may linger for years, which means that PCS can result in heightened, sustained emotional distress that lasts for a decade, or maybe even longer (Ferguson, 1999). Emotional imbalance and instability may not go away after three months, for instance, which opens up the possibility of lifelong depression and connected emotional problems that never seem to subside. As these studies show us, it’s clearly not an understatement to say that sustaining a concussion can wreak havoc in the long run.

Concussions: Banging away at your brain

by Topher Toffoli

Rock Dennis tackles Taylor Wardlow by John McStravick

Injuries are becoming more prevalent in high contact sports as players move towards being bigger, stronger, and faster. In ice hockey as many as 66% of hockey players have experience a head injury known as a concussion, which is a mild to severe trauma to the brain caused by the soft brain tissue hitting the hard skull.  Injuries can cause serious long-term damage to the parts of the brain responsible for memory, judgment, social conduct, reflexes, speech, balance and co-ordination.  These parts, which are located in the frontal and parietal lobes, are hit against the brain and damaged by bleeding and bruising from contact with the hard cranium. Researchers at Albert Einstein college of Medicine used diffusion tensor imaging to find that damage from concussion can cause loss in higher level thinking from planning evens to personality change. They also found that 30% of people sustaining these injuries had long terms affects associated to memory and personality.

Although this problem is very serious since the diagnoses of a “Concussion” have become so main stream players are unaware of the consequences and thus return to play too soon. 40% of younger players and 30% of adult players could not recognize symptoms and believed that they could return to play after two days with mild headaches. Researchers have found that by being diagnosed as having a concussion instead of re-wording it as brain trauma can have drastic effects on the perception of the injury to the patients. Patients diagnosed with a concussion rather than brain trauma were more than twice as likely to return to school and athletics before doctors orders allowed them too. The simple familiarity of the word concussion is putting people at risk. This is due to the mere exposure effect, meaning that the more you are exposed to a stimulus, in this case a word, the more positively you will perceive that stimulus. Since people have heard and can associate concussions with others they know they do not take it as seriously as when the more specific term of brain trauma is used.

Also athletes wishing to return to sports in our win-driven sports world are willing, in their ignorance, to put there bodies in harms way for the “win at all cost” mentality. New rules in safety such as helmets and rules prohibiting fighting are steps that are being taken in hockey to prevent further injuries however players and parents must be educated so that they know, fully, the risk they are putting themselves in.

References

St. Michael’s Hospital (2009, June 1). Minor League Hockey Players Unable To Identify Concussion Symptoms, Study Says. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 5, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2009/05/090527121051.htm

McMaster University (2010, January 18). Concussions not taken seriously enough, researcher finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 5, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2010/01/100118001721.htm

Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2009, August 25). Strong Link Found Between Concussions And Brain Tissue Injury. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 5, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2009/08/090824115905.htm

Superstition may be good for you

Rome Braves by The Suss-Man (Mike)

by  105 student

To the detached observer, athletes may seem like a strange group of people, performing irrational routines in preparation for an event. Perhaps you have heard that Michael Jordan wore blue University of North Carolina shorts under his Bull’s uniform for good luck or that National Hockey League goaltender, Patrick Roy, was said to have talked to the goalposts throughout games, or noticed that Tiger Woods always wears red on Sundays. If you have ever played a sport, you or your team may have had certain rituals such as wearing purple socks on game days or eating waffles at the previous meal.

Superstition is generally first developed in hindsight, for example: an athlete reviews a performance and then establishes cause and effect between certain circumstances such as wearing green socks and playing well. In 1948, B.F. Skinner studied superstitious behavior in pigeons. After a pigeon was reduced to 75 percent of its weight (when well fed), a food hopper was presented at regular intervals into the pigeon’s cage. In the majority of cases, the birds started to perform distinct behaviors such as turning counter clockwise or swinging the head and body in a pendulum motion close to the time the food was presented. Even though there was no actual causal relationship, the birds continued to perform certain behaviors presumably because of an initial coincidence. By definition, superstitious actions do not have any inherent value yet many athletes still refuse to change their behavior. Are they wrong or simply stubborn by acting this way? Many studies indicate the opposite, superstitious behavior does serve a purpose.

Chance plays a part in the outcome of virtually all sports, creating a relatively uncertain environment. Optimal athletic performance demands a heightened mental state known as the flow state or being in the zone,essentially a good match between the demands of the sport and the abilities of the athlete (Marr, 2001). A survey of male and female athletes at the University of Western Ontario indicated that athletes use superstitions to regulate their emotions in stressful situations such as sporting events. Though superstitious behavior may have no rational foundation, athletes believe they have a greater sense of control over the outcome of the situation, helping them to reach an optimal mental state (Burke, 2006).

Regardless of an athlete’s specific rituals, superstitions may serve an important role in athletic performance. Remember this the next time you hear about an athlete’s strange pregame routine.

References

Burke, Kevin L. (2006). An Exploratory Investigation of Superstition, Personal Control, Optimism and Pessimism in NCAA Division I Intercollegiate Student-Athletes.  Athletic Insight, 8(2). Retrieved April 21, 2010 from http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol8Iss2/Superstition.htm

Gregory, Jane C. and Brain M. Petrie. (1972).  Superstition in Sport.  University of  Waterloo.  Presented at the Fourth Canadian Psychomotor Learning and Sports Psychology Symposium. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov:80/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/34/0f/45.pdf

Marr, Arthur J. (2001). In the Zone: A Biobehavioral Theory of the Flow Experience.  Athletic Insight, 3(1). Retrieved from http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol3Iss1/Commentary.htm

Skinner, B.F. (1947). Superstition in the Pigeon. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 38, pgs. 168-172. Retrieved March 5, 2010 from http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/

Skinner/Pigeon/

The riddle of personality and sport

by Shannon Fleming

Vassar College Womens Volleyball

Most of us at one point or another have played or participated in a sport, whether it is volleyball, tennis, karate or pole-vaulting.  Have you ever sat back and wondered why you chose that particular sport to play besides the simple fact that you love participating in it?  Recent studies have shown that the complex of multiple personality traits that composes each individual may be a significant factor in which sport you prefer to play.  Traits can be described as people’s characteristic behaviors and conscious motives.  The broadest category of personality traits involves extraversion and introversion. People reflecting traits of extraversion tend to be excitable, outgoing, lively, sociable and impulsive.  They love the lime-light, work well in groups, and tend to dislike being alone for long periods of time.  People reflecting traits of introversion tend to be reserved, reclusive, thoughtful, calm, and rational.  They are more interested in their own mental self, work better alone, and are controlled in social situations, preferring closer, more personal relationship. Although traits of introversion and extroversion are reflective of personality, that doesn’t mean that everyone is classified as one or the other, many people have traits associated with both extraversion and introversion (Myers, 2007).

In a study done by Urska Dobersek and Cart Bartling (2007), athletes from four different sports, three individual sports and one team sport, and non-athletes were given standard personality tests including the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire which measured emotionality and tough-mindedness and the Global 5 survey, which measured extraversion, introversion, emotional stability, orderliness, accommodations and intellect. Each subject’s personality traits were viewed in association with the sport they preferred and conclusions were drawn between personality traits and were linked to the type of sport preferred.  The study showed significant differences in individuals who played team sports, like volleyball, and people who played individual sports, like tennis, track and golf.   Participants on the volleyball team, a team sport, tended to display more traits associated with introversion such as being reliable and thoughtful.  Learning to cooperate with other players and sharing the recognition for a win with other people tend to require being less bold and outgoing, and instead, being calmer, rational, and aware of surroundings.  Participants of individual sports, where the pressure is all on you to perform reflected traits of extraversion such as being outgoing, energetic, spontaneous and to some extent egotistical.

What sports do for your brain

By Matt Pearce

Photo by Ken Wooldridge

When you think about it, exercising and playing sports requires the stimulation of many different areas of the brain.  The medulla, which is located at the base of the brain stem, controls ones heartbeat and breathing.  The cerebellum, also known as the “little brain,” is attached to the rear of the brainstem and is crucial in coordinating movement and balance.  Additionally, the hypothalamus is necessary for maintenance activities such as homeostasis and body temperature (Myers, 2006).  But what does exercising and playing sports do for the brain in return?

Exercising and playing sports have both long term and short terms effects on brain function.  Immediately following physical activity, the verbal memory of athletes is worse than when the athletes are resting. However, physical activity has a minimal impact on visual memory, motor processing speed and reaction times.  In a recent study, 102 male and female athletes were gathered in order to engage in a test that analyzed the affects of exercise and physical activity on brain function.  The control group rested for fifteen minutes and the exercise group underwent strenuous exercise for fifteen minutes.  Immediately following the fifteen minutes, both groups took an Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test.  The test results showed that the verbal memory scores of the exercise group were much less than the control group.  Perhaps this phenomenon occurs because the areas of the brain associated with vision and the senses, homeostasis, movement, and balance are all activated while the parts of the brain associated with memory are not activated.  This causes somewhat of a delay in the efficiency of ones short-term memory.

While brain function may be slightly diminished immediately following physical activity, overall brain function seems to increase with the presence of regular physical activity.  Charles Hillman of the University of Illinois conducted a test that collected data on 241 individuals from the ages of 15-71.  Each individual reported how physically active he or she was and also completed a series of task performance capabilities tests.  The results showed that the more physically active individuals exhibited enhanced reaction times, improved task performance, and greater response accuracy (University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign).  The constant activation and use of the brain for reactions and movement enhances and improves this specific region of the brain.  Although physical activity has been proven to slightly hinder memory functions, it enhances reaction times, task performance, and response accuracy while have little to no long-term effect on memory.

References

Covassin, T.,  Weiss L., Powell, J. and   Womack, C. (2007), Effects of a maximal exercise test on neurocognitive function [abstract]. British Journal of Sports Medicine 41, 370-374. Retrieved November 13, 2008 from http://bjsm.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/41/6/370.

Myers, D. G. (2006) Psychology (8th ed. in Modules). New York: Worth.

[No author] (2007). Does exercise affect brain function? Peak Performance [Web site]. Retreived October 10, 2008 from http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/does-exercise-affect-brain-function-35945.

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign (2006, December 20). “Exercise Appears To Improve Brain Function Among Younger People.” ScienceDaily. Retrieved  October 14  2008 from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2006/12/061219122200.htm.

The hormonal life of a fan

by Alex Seife

My beloved New York Yankees lost to the lowly Cleveland Indians in the ALDS of the 2007 playoffs. I was devastated, humiliated, and most certainly horrified. Eight months, 162 games, countless nail-biting nights spent alone, glued to the radio beside my bed – and all for what? To swiftly lose in four games? I couldn’t go on. I felt terrible and needed answers, so I did some research…

Perhaps my endless absorption with Yankees had psychological facets. I grabbed the New York Times and scanned through it. A James McKinley article struck me as particularly appropriate. He wrote, “Some researchers have found that fervent fans become so tied to their teams that they experience hormonal surges and other psychological changes when watching games.” Yeah, this sounded like me. The pouncing off the couch after an A-Rod homerun, a pump of the fist after a Chamberlain strikeout, sweat dripping off my temples when the Red Sox’s “Big Pappi” (David Ortiz) comes to the plate. I was feeling a surge of the hormone testosterone and a rush of adrenaline (epinephrine) a hormone released during stressful situations – increasing the heart rate, and dilating the blood vessels.

Testosterone levels commonly rise when human beings win or excel in competition and plummet when they lose (or in the sports fan’s case when their respective team wins or loses.) In one study, in fact, Georgia State University researchers went to various sports bars and collected saliva (a good indicator of testosterone levels) from soccer fans after watching the World Cup final, in which Brazil won. The Brazil fans’ testosterone levels raised an average of 28 percent, whereas the losing Italy fans’ testosterone levels fell a similar 27 percent.

So guys, the next time your wife, girlfriend, or mother is baffled by your inexplicable enthrallment with ESPN, tell them that it’s not, in fact, so inexplicable. You produce a lot more testosterone then they do, about eight to ten more times. Being a fan is making you feel better, more attractive, more manly. It’s healthy and invigorating. Tell them, we need to watch the pre-game, post-game, and live analysis. Just watch out when they hurl a chair through your brand new LCD TV.

Visualization and soccer

by Rachel Shea

At the end of every practice Richard, the women’s soccer coach here at Vassar, tells us to “visualize, visualize, visualize” in order to mentally prepare ourselves for our upcoming games. Seeing as we have two of our most important games of the season coming up this weekend I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and visualizing, about soccer. Conveniently enough, all this thinking about soccer overlapped with all the thinking that I am currently putting into this blog post.

A few years ago my older cousin who’s a very good baseball player recommended that I read a book called Mind Gym by Gary Mack. The second chapter, entitled “The Head Edge,” addresses the importance of visualizing to an athlete. In this chapter Gary Mack talks about a study done with a group of college basketball players. The players were divided into 3 groups (this would be a nominal scale). The first group spent an hour shooting free throws each day, the second group spent an hour visualizing their free throws each day, and the third group spent half and hour shooting free throws and half an hour visualizing their free throws going in the basket. The third group showed the most improvement in their foul shot percentage. This shows that just like practicing taking free throws, thinking about taking them helps an athlete to improve. In athletics, when you visualize yourself doing something well, it is much more likely that you’ll be able to perform when the time comes. Personally, I think visualizing has a lot to do with a person’s confidence as an athlete. If you continually visualize yourself making a foul shot, you’ll be much more confident when you’re on the foul line in an important game. In high school my dad always told me that if I didn’t think I could do something I would never be able to do it. Of course, I never listened to him when he told me to visualize, but I decided to try it when I read about famous athletes like Pele, Mark MaGuire, and Mia Hamm who spend a lot of time working on the mental aspect of their game. Turns out Richard is right, we really should be visualizing before every game.

Reference

Mack, G. (2002) Mind Gym: An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence. New York: McGraw Hill