Portable Brain Injury Detection

There has been a ton of media coverage around concussions and the dangers of head injuries in sports, especially football. In light of these growing concerns, different researchers came together at the Greensboro Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering in North Carolina to combine their medical and technical expertise to help this problem. They are creating a portable device which can immediately test for mild traumatic brain injury. This devise would work by taking from the injured person either a saliva, blood or urine sample. From there, according to espn, “A chip will sense the presence of compounds in the body that the brain releases when it’s injured.” Currently, these types of tests from a molecular perspective are done in labs. The alternative technology employed at hospitals is CAT scans and MRIs. These machines focus on physical changes in the brain and sometimes miss mild, but still serious injury. Similarly to the molecular tests, MRIs/CAT scans are conducted with less than portable equipment. The innovation of a portable device that could go from the ski lift to the football field or even be part of a roadside emergency responder’s tool kit has very promising potential.

This technology could be pivotal in the detection of mild head injuries that may initially not show obvious symptoms. By catching a head injury early, treatment could be far more effective, not to mention this knowledge could prevent a person from going back out and causing further damage (which is a huge problem in sports). Too often mild head injuries are not diagnosed because the person seems coherent. According to a study mentioned in Time, “up to 40% of players who experience a concussion are back on the field before their brains have fully healed.” Scarier still, it is possible that two mild head injuries could be more dangerous than one bigger injury. Malignant brain edema, or second-impact syndrome, can occur when a player returns to the field before they are fully healed. The second hit to the head can cause a fatal brain bleed, which is the cause of death for about 6 kids per year. This new technology could potentially help identify the first injury quickly and on-site, hopefully preventing players from re-entering the field prematurely. REF. espn.com, Time