The need for theory to guide concussion research

Although research into concussion has greatly expanded over the past decade, progress in identifying the mechanisms and consequences of head injury and recovery are largely absent. Instead, data are accumulated without the guidance of a systematic theory to direct research questions or generate testable hypotheses. As part of this special issue on sports concussion, I advance a theory that emphasizes changes in spatial and temporal distributions of the brains neural networks during normal learning and the disruptions of these networks following injury. Specific predictions are made regarding both the development of the network as well as its breakdown following injury.