ABSTRACT
This chapter explores genes and polymorphisms potentially associated with sport concussion. Participation in sports such as high school football has declined as the number of news reports of concussion in sports has increased. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be viewed along a continuum with high head-impact acceleration events yielding severe TBI and low head accelerations eliciting seemingly no injury. Concussion and subconcussion are on the low end of the continuum and are the most common impact types encountered in sports. To understand the role genetics may play in predisposing someone to a concussion, it is important to further understand concussion injury pathomechanics and pathophysiology. A number of neuronal structures can help manage mechanical stress including the cell membrane, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. The chapter reviews some of the genes that code for the proteins, in particular distinguishing studies that have focused on pathomechanical and pathphysiological outcomes.
