Join me as I interview Dr. Jaycie Loewen, a Howard Hughes Medical scholar who received her PhD in Neuroscience alongside a Master's in Clinical Investigation. In this interview, Dr. Loewen explains for us what "counts" as a concussion, what to do if you have had a concussion, and what post concussion syndrome is. She explains what post concussion symptoms are and what can be done to manage them, and she also gives us an explanation of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Enjoy this conversation!

She generously gave a list of resources that people can look through in their study and research on post concussion syndrome:

Dysautonomia, the autonomic nervous system, and brain injuryhttps://www.cognitivefxusa.com/blog/post-concussion-autonomic-dysfunction-dysautonomia

CDC Heads UP, Understanding Childhood Concussionshttps://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/pediatricmtbiguidelineeducationaltools/2018-cdc_mtbi_discharge-instructions-508.pdf

Brain injury and Hormoneshttps://www.biausa.org/public-affairs/media/brain-injury-hormone-issues-and-the-endocrine-system-qa-with-dr-tamara-wexler

https://www.concussionalliance.org/hormone-therapy

Information on CTEhttps://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/CDC-CTE-FactSheet-508.pdf

Work and school after a brain injury https://www.biausa.org/brain-injury/about-brain-injury/nbiic/requesting-job-accommodations-after-brain-injuryhttps://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/reportstocongress/managementoftbiinchildren/factsheets/TBIRTCFS-Schools-508.pdf(Employers guide to working with a patient with a brain injury. It’s from 2011 and some of the stats/citations are out of date but I thought I would at least see if you might want it: https://biaia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Employer-guide.pdf)

(Over access 2022 article that emphasizes the importance of a child’s physician in the ‘return to learn’ process: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9277683/)

Return to physical activity after concussionhttps://www.cdc.gov/headsup/basics/return_to_sports.html

Concussion exercises you can do at homehttps://neuraleffects.com/blog/concussion-therapy-exercises/

Three websites I would go first to find up-to-date statistics, tips and tricks, and further information on TBI:

CDC https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/index.html

NINDS https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/traumatic-brain-injury-tbi

Brain Injury Alliance (also look for your state’s chapter as they will have information specific to your area) https://usbia.org/