Sledhead and Brain Health in Sliding Sports: How Bobsleigh and Skeleton Impact the Brain and What It Takes to Make the Sport Safer

Valuable insights into sledhead, a term used by athletes for post-crash symptoms in sliding sports, and how researchers are probing the brain impact of bobsled and skeleton. The episode features Aaliyah Snyder, a neuropsychologist, and Peter McCarthy, a neurophysiologist, as they explain how high G forces and brain movement inside the skull can lead to concussions and longer-lasting symptoms, even subconcussive effects. It also covers sensor work inside helmets to quantify head motion and frequency ranges, the role of the autonomic nervous system in recovery, and why safer training protocols, objective monitoring, and longer recovery times may be needed to protect athletes.

Overview

The Shortwave episode centers on sledhead, a term used among sliding sport athletes to describe dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties following high G-force runs in bobsleigh and skeleton. It follows researchers and athletes as they try to understand how repeated vibrations, head movements, and crashes affect brain health, and what can be done to protect competitors without ending their careers.

"sledhead is something athletes talk about, but researchers found they're not always telling their coaches about it." - Peter McCarthy, neurophysiologist

Sliding Sports and Brain Health

The program introduces Aaliyah Snyder, a neuropsychologist, and Peter McCarthy, who discuss how the sport exposes athletes to extreme G-forces and vibrational energy. They explain how the brain, floating inside the skull, can be jolted by rapid flexion, rotation, and acceleration and how this can cause concussions and subconcussive impacts even when a crash does not occur. The discussion emphasizes the lack of comprehensive research on long-term brain health in sliding athletes and the need for objective metrics to assess exposure and risk.

"the brain is the central command system of the body." - Aaliyah Snyder, neuropsychologist

Measuring the Crash: sensors, frequencies, and risks

The episode details how researchers fitted helmets with 3-axis sensors to track the difference between head and body motion during runs. They note that most vibrations occur below 50 hertz, with lower frequencies enabling more movement to transmit to the system. This data, shared with international governing bodies, aims to quantify exposure and guide safety decisions. The researchers stress that current knowledge is incomplete, and there is no consensus on safe levels of exposure across different sliding disciplines and athlete histories.

"The brain is always changing in positive and negative ways. We can leverage that." - Aaliyah Snyder, neuropsychologist

Clinical Realities and Rehabilitation

Clinically, Aaliyah Snyder discusses how some athletes develop reduced tolerance to high-G curves after concussive injuries, affecting autonomic regulation and cognitive performance. The conversation expands beyond the binary concussion/non-concussion framework to subconcussive effects and the broader disruption of autonomic and cognitive function. The pair emphasizes individualized rehabilitation, cognitive and autonomic reregulation training, and the importance of allowing genuine recovery time rather than forcing a return to sport.

"Athletes want to compete, and they will suffer to compete." - Peter McCarthy, neurophysiologist

Policy, Practice, and the Path Forward

The researchers advocate for objective measurement tools to monitor exposure and enforce rest when thresholds are reached. They also call for culture change within teams to prioritize health over quick returns to competition and suggest the sport may need structural changes to protect brains. Although they sought comment from major federations, responses were not obtained in time for publication, underscoring a gap between research and policy.