- Sports concussions on the rise; with more children playing sports, it is becoming an important public health problem
- Quantitative EEG shows promise in identifying athletes with post-concussion impairments; for this, reusable EEG caps and mobile-based applications are helpful
- BRSF provides portable EEG devices that bring brain diagnostics to settings where it was previously impossible including off-site testing within sports
A recent article published by Brain Scientific (OTCQB: BRSF), a commercial-stage healthcare company operating in the brain diagnostics space, discusses how concussions or Traumatic brain injuries (“TBI”) are a significant risk for young athletes, quickly becoming an important public health issue as more and more children and teens are playing contact sports (https://ibn.fm/Jm5rT). TBI is a primary cause of death and lifelong disability in children and young adults in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year 1.5 million Americans sustain a TBI, leading to 50,000 deaths — one-third of all injury-related deaths — and causing long-term disability in up to 90,000 people (https://ibn.fm/F4VUm).
Concussions result from head trauma in contact sports. Although they are usually minor and self-limiting, some can lead to significant long-term cognitive, physical, and psychosocial impairment. Unfortunately, at this moment, it is challenging to differentiate between the two effectively. Further compounding the prognostic challenge is that the risk of long-term complications from concussion increases as the number of concussive episodes per patient increases.
CT is the most commonly used imaging procedure. Although it is quick, widely available, and relatively cost-effective, it is not effective when conducting a post-concussion examination. MRIs and neuropsychologic testing are somewhat more effective but are time-consuming. Novel imaging techniques such as PET scan or functional MRI and specific biomarkers may prove useful, but work in this area is still ongoing.
What about EEG, a technology that has been around for around 100 years? Traditional EEG has a long history of attempting to become the gold standard for concussion diagnostics, but it never emerged as the first-line diagnostic tool. Still, can novel, sophisticated technologies such as quantitative EEG help turn the tables when it comes to effective diagnostics and prognostics of post-concussion patient outcomes?
Indeed, multiple studies and — even more convincingly systematic literature review of studies — show promise in revealing patterns of quantitative EEG abnormality that correlate with acute, subacute, and chronic concussions. This technique may potentially help determine the severity of trauma. The Institute of Medicine (“IOM”) Committee on Sports-Related Concussions in Youth states that QEEG “can detect differences in performance and neural responses in concussed versus non-concussed student-athletes in high school and college even when behavior measures fail to do so” (https://ibn.fm/V6qTA).
While it may still be challenging to reliably decipher EEG or QEEG differences between individuals with a concussion and healthy controls, the value of these procedures may lie in pre-and post-concussion comparisons where readings. Here, pre-trauma readings would be compared to post-trauma readings of the same patient. EEG electrode caps and mobile phone applications could enable QEEG screening for athletes as part of their preseason health check. With portable devices, sideline-based concussion assessment could help identify indicators consistent with acute TBI and concussion during the game.
Portable EEG diagnostics is precisely the space that BSFR aims to revolutionize. With the Company’s two FDA-cleared devices, NeuroCap(TM) and NeuroEEG(TM), it is now possible to conduct quick and reliable EEG testing in minutes by any healthcare worker, not only specialized neurological technicians. These powerful yet affordable solutions bring brain diagnostics to settings where it was previously impossible or difficult to conduct neurological testing, including off-site testing within sports to diagnose concussions and other head trauma that occur on the field without transporting a patient to the hospital.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.BrainScientific.com/Invest-Now.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to BRSF are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/BRSF
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