The Atlantic
The Good Kind of Brain Drain
Some concussions may linger for months or even years because of damage to vessels that clear waste from the brain.
David Maurice Smith / Oculi / Redux
On a crisp September day, Zoe Aldrich walked onto a rugby pitch on a college campus in upstate New York. With her teammates surrounding her, she got ready for the kickoff, and the pitch became a blur of colored jerseys. A teammate passed Aldrich the ball; as she started running, an opposing player tackled her to the ground. Players collided above her, competing for the ball. As Aldrich tried to crawl out from under them, one of her teammates accidentally kicked her in the head. “I never lost consciousness,” she says, “but I didn’t feel well.”