It Doesn’t Take a Brain Injury to Have Headaches, Dizziness and Cognitive Impairment

New research proposes that general inflammation of the brain and related body parts — not just traditional concussion and neurotrauma — can cause the array of symptoms typically associated only with post-concussion syndrome. Researchers from McMaster University recently published a paper in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity detailing physical findings that milder inflammation can still cause post-concussion symptoms. “It’s inflammation that they have in common,” said the lead author of the paper. “Rather than a concussion, we’d like to propose a unifying umbrella term of post-inflammatory brain syndromes or PIBS. We know that the immune system can be modulated, or sensitized, by the current, and even the previous environment an individual was in. These social factors, such as pre-existing stressors, depression or anxiety, may actually be, in a way, biological factors.” The conclusion of this proposal is that traditional concussion treatments may also be usable in those suffering from similar symptoms, hopefully targeting the same mechanisms experiencing dysfunction. To learn more about this study, click here.