Your DNA may underlie the severity of your concussion symptoms - On Biology

Your DNA may underlie the severity of your concussion symptoms - On Biology

Lili-Naz Hazrati And Nicole Schwab

Lili-Naz Hazrati is a neuropathologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and a principal investigator with the Canadian Concussion Center.She received her PhD in neurobiology at Laval University, and completed postdoctoral training subsequently at Yale University. She obtained a medical degree at the University of Montreal. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Nicole Schwab gained a BSc in Human Biology and Neuroscience from the University of Toronto, after which she acquired her MSc in Dr. Lili-Naz Hazrati’s lab at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Nicole is now pursuing her PhD in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology in Dr. Hazrati’s lab. Her research focuses on the pathophysiological mechanisms of traumatic brain injury, particularly the roles of DNA damage repair and cellular senescence.

Your DNA may underlie the severity of your concussion symptoms

Neuropathologists Lili-Naz Hazrati and Nicole Schwab explain how genetic variation could make different people more susceptible to neurodegenerative disease following concussion.

Lili-Naz Hazrati and Nicole Schwab 18 Nov 2019

Contact sports could put athletes at risk of mild Traumatic Brain Injuries, but some are more resilient to the effects than others - gilaxia / iStock

Each year, approximately 10 million individuals experience traumatic brain injury (TBI), with a vast majority of these injuries classified as mild TBIs (mTBIs). Commonly referred to as concussions, mTBIs can sometimes result in a wide array of symptoms including headaches, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and difficulties with memory and attention.