Concussion brain injury may soon be measurableRSS Feed

Scientists believe they have developed a way of assessing the brain injury caused by concussion.

Five athletes tested using a technology called magnetic resonance spectroscopy by researchers at the Harvard University affiliate Brigham and Women's Hospital found increases in two chemicals, glutamate and choline.

Study subjects included American football players, wrestlers and boxers, and researchers are hopeful that with further development this spectroscopy method could be used to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Lead study author Alexander Lin explained: "[Increased] choline is a marker for damaged tissue and glutamate is neurotoxic at high levels, something we think could be the result of repetitive head injuries.

"We are trying to understand what role they play in the physiology of [traumatic brain injury]."

MRI and X-ray cannot be used to assess the impact of concussion and there is no test to establish whether such trauma causes brain injury.

Last week, scientists at Cambridge University suggested that the damage caused by an Alzheimer's or dementia-related brain injury could see subjects create false memories.

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Posted by John Sherrington

 

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