Can Fast Roller Coasters Cause Brain Injury?

July 1 -- There's nothing like the highs and lows, the twists and turns, the thrills and that weightless feeling you can only find on a high-tech, fast-paced roller coaster.

Over 300 million people flock to theme parks in the United States annually, and each year, these screaming, shrieking fans are seeking a bigger, faster, and wilder ride than the one they went on the year before. But after taking one look at these 300-foot-tall structures, you don't have to be a worried mom to wonder: How fast is too fast, and is "safe" safe enough?

Dr. Jamshid Ghajar, a neurosurgeon at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York, and president of the Brain Trauma Foundation, said that there are risks associated with roller coasters, but the likelihood of injury is relatively small.

"In terms of the number of injuries, they see one in every 15 million riders," Ghajar told Good Morning America. "In terms of deaths, there are one in 150 million. You are more likely to suffer a serious head injury driving to and from the park."

But there is growing concern about the force of gravity that is exerted on people as they ride these faster roller coasters. In October, New Jersey will become the first state to limit G-forces on rides.

Meanwhile, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, has assembled a national committee of neurosurgeons, NASA scientists and engineers are looking at how the stress of G-forces from roller coasters might affect our brains, Ghajar said.

"They are looking at the force applied to the brain at various G-force levels, and how the brain is moved around on these rides," he said. The committee has not reached any conclusions yet. But one of the major causes of brain trauma is a kind of tossing of the brain, in which it is bounced around inside the skull, and injured.

Playing With G-Forces

Even though the brain is protected by the skull, and is surrounded by liquid that cushions it, rapid movement can be dangerous. Yet not completely restraining the head on rides can be dangerous, too, because it could place more force on the spine, and lead to more spinal injuries, Ghajar said.