Why knockout happens

This force then impacts on the movement of the brain. Our brains sit inside the skull, floating in cerebral fluid designed to protect it from trauma. When a fighter is hit hard, the sudden movement shocks the brain, which does not have time to adjust to the rapid acceleration and deceleration of the skull.

This in turn causes the brain to move around in the cerebral fluid, colliding with the inside of the skull and causing trauma to the soft tissue of the brain. Imagine it like a Kinder surprise egg, the toy capsule inside being your brain. When you shake the egg, you can feel the capsule bouncing back and forth inside the chocolate shell. As a result of the overwhelming stimulation the brain tissue is receiving, the body sends out a series of neurotransmitters and excessive blood supply to the brain in an attempt to repair the damage.

According to neurologist and boxing physician Anthony Alessi, when blood supply to the brain is not sufficient to repair the level of damage, the fighter will lose consciousness. Richardson Michael W. Richardson is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, New York, covering topics ranging from the brain and behavior to the environment.

Every month, we choose one reader question and get an answer from a top neuroscientist. Always been curious about something? Disclaimer: BrainFacts. It is not intended to give specific medical or other advice to patients. Visitors interested in medical advice should consult with a physician.

Ask a neuroscientist your questions about the brain. Submit a Question. Engage local scientists to educate your community about the brain. Do you believe any of these common neuromyths? Test your knowledge. Read More. For Educators Log in. The same blow to the chin or side of the jaw area is a different matter.

Tibi is a science journalist and co-founder of ZME Science. He writes mainly about emerging tech, physics, climate, and space. In his spare time, Tibi likes to make weird music on his computer and groom felines. February 22, Reading Time: 4 mins read. Credit: Pixabay J ab, jab, right hook. Get more science news like this This major bleeding killed them. But when Patrick Day went down, it looked like a typical knockout.

His opponent, Charles Conwell, was applauded. A knockout is the ultimate goal in a boxing match. It is exhilarating. Once when I was boxing, my opponent threw a left jab that missed.

I came over his left with a right cross. It landed square on his jaw. He went straight down and did not get up for a couple of minutes. I was proud of myself. It was my first and only knockout. At that time, I had no idea about the physiology of a knockout. I didn't know how the brain worked. I didn't know how boxing affected the brain.

I was just a teenager who ran with guys who liked to fight. So I fought. A knockout is a severe concussion. In football, efforts are made to prevent concussions, and when a football player has a concussion, he is often taken out of the game and not allowed to play for a week or more. But in the sport of boxing, a concussion is the goal. The boxer who causes the most concussions in his opponent wins the fight.

Concussions occur when the brain bounces inside the skull with such force that abnormal electrical circuits are activated. If an abnormal electrical signal from a punch shuts down the reticular activating system, then the person becomes unconscious. It is a knockout. The abnormal signals from a severe blow, as they travel to shut down the RAS, can affect other neurological circuits.

They can abnormally activate muscle circuits. Hence, when some boxers are knocked out, you will see their arms and legs stiffen and extend, and you will see their eyes deviate. This pattern of abnormal muscle activation is seen with generalized seizures. Hence a knock-out from boxing can cause the brain to have a type of seizure.

Another area in the brain that can be affected by a severe blow to the head is the balance center, which is part of the inner ear called the vestibular apparatus. This vestibular apparatus sits in the brain just beyond where the nerves to the ear enter. It consists of three tubes that contain fluid.

These fluid-filled tubes are similar to the fluid-filled tube that is used for a level sold in a hardware store. When a severe blow disrupts the fluid in the vestibular apparatus, it will make the fighter dizzy.

He will lose his balance and stumble around the ring. The goal of boxing is to produce neurological damage. It is hypocritical that we condemn concussions in football but applaud them in boxing. It takes a lot of dedication and a strong work ethic to become a professional fighter. It requires courage. There are admirable features to the sport.

A dominance ethic holds that to dominate another person is to be superior. It is an ethic that can lead to conflicts, including domestic violence and wars.