Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

The problem with PCS and hoping for a cure is the complexity of the brain. There are more than 4000 different classes of neurons, each with a specific function. Each neuron can have up to 10,000 axons connected to it. Each axon is covered with myelin. The damaged myelin is the hardest part to heal. It needs proper nutrition to repair itself. Each axon connects to a dendrite that connects to other parts of the neural network.

When the brain is young, these axons are growing like crazy and connecting to the neural network. Unfortunately, there is not a road map for these connections. They are a hit and miss connection. This is the learning process that infants undergo as they respond to their environment. It takes 20 years for these networks to mature. The myelin sheath is not fully mature for 14 years.

They are still discovering structures within the brain. They only recently discovered how the brain drains toxins. They call it the glymph system. It was unknown until they had a way to image live tissue at a cellular level. The stem cell work being done only works with nerve fibers like those found in the spinal cord. Even that narrow focus on a single nerve class is taking decades to advance small amounts.

It is only recently that any consensus has been reached about concussion. The Veterans Administration and NIH has only recently awarded a contract to the Brain Trauma Foundation to develop a diagnostic definition of concussion. Otherwise, concussion is a subjective diagnosis based on a loose cluster of symptoms.

The Sports Legacy Institute has finally started the ball rolling toward taking concussion seriously. If it was not for law suits filled by NFL players, concussion would still be stuck in the dark ages.

Hopefully, improvements in diagnostics can cause legitimate research toward treatment of the various symptoms.