<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The thrill to go fast and push boundaries is something that many seek. From John Stapp’s rocket sled at Edwards Air Force Base in the late 1950’s to todays’ Formula 1 drivers, the “need for speed” is broadcast across TV screens weekly. So too are the horror stories of crashes, many at over 300km/hr. Yet “need for speed” continues. It appears that the higher and faster the rollercoaster, the better. This leads to several questions. How does the brain stand up to speed and G-forces? Do Newton’s Laws still have reference in today’s world?There has been much attention in the general press on the possibility that high G-force rollercoasters are inducing brain injury in riders. However, research does not wholeheartedly support this notion, but rather the risk of brain injury from a rollercoaster is not in the rides, but in the rider – caused by previously undetected brain or neck conditions. That said there is some truth that high G-forces do affect the brain at a chemical and structural level.This paper will discuss the mechanism of head injury at speed and generally what Newton’s Law means in a neurological setting in todays’ world. Formula 1 racing and rollercoaster rides will be evaluated within a neuroscience context.</abstract>

The thrill to go fast and push boundaries is something that many seek. From John Stapp’s rocket sled at Edwards Air Force Base in the late 1950’s to todays’ Formula 1 drivers, the “need for speed” is broadcast across TV screens weekly. So too are the horror stories of crashes, many at over 300km/hr. Yet “need for speed” continues. It appears that the higher and faster the rollercoaster, the better. This leads to several questions. How does the brain stand up to speed and G-forces? Do Newton’s Laws still have reference in today’s world?There has been much attention in the general press on the possibility that high G-force rollercoasters are inducing brain injury in riders. However, research does not wholeheartedly support this notion, but rather the risk of brain injury from a rollercoaster is not in the rides, but in the rider – caused by previously undetected brain or neck conditions. That said there is some truth that high G-forces do affect the brain at a chemical and structural level.This paper will discuss the mechanism of head injury at speed and generally what Newton’s Law means in a neurological setting in todays’ world. Formula 1 racing and rollercoaster rides will be evaluated within a neuroscience context.

Newton’s Laws, G-forces and the impact on the brain

Australasian Journal of Neuroscience

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Newton\u2019s Laws, G-forces and the impact on the brain"}

The thrill to go fast and push boundaries is something that many seek. From John Stapp’s rocket sled at Edwards Air Force Base in the late 1950’s to todays’...

Newton’s Laws, G-forces and the impact on the brain

Article Category: research-article

Published Online: Jun 01, 2020

Page range: 24 - 29

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/ajon-2020-003

Keywords
Concussion, head injury, Newton’s laws, Formula 1, roller-coasters

© 2020 Vicki Evans., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Newton’s Laws, G-forces and the impact on the brain

Article Category: research-article

Published Online: Jun 01, 2020

Page range: 24 - 29

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/ajon-2020-003

KeywordsConcussion, head injury, Newton’s laws, Formula 1, roller-coasters

© 2020 Vicki Evans., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Concussion, head injury, Newton’s laws, Formula 1, roller-coasters