New Eye-Tracking Device Helps Measure Brain Function And Potential Brain Injury

First Posted: Jan 29, 2015 04:55 PM EST
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These days, technology is helping to bring a whole new view into the world of medical science. Researchers at the Cohen Veterans Center worked to assess eye movement in veterans of the long Middle East conflicts, many of whom had suffered from traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Now, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have examined 75 trauma patients and 64 healthy control patients who were tracked and compared for over 200 seconds while the participants watched a music video for a few minutes.

Researchers found that the more patient's with more severe concussion's ahd the worst eye movement problems.

"The importance of this study is that it establishes a reliable test and a 'biological' marker for detecting concussion," said Dr. M. Sean Grady, chair of the neurosurgery department at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, according to WebMd. He was not involved in the study." Since concussion can occur without loss of consciousness, this can be particularly important in sideline evaluations in athletics or in military settings where individuals are highly motivated to return to activity and may minimize their symptoms. More work is needed to establish its sensitivity and specificity, but it is very promising."

However, researchers added that the eye-tracking methodology may be missing a piece that's needed to help better diagnose concussion severity. Future research could help ensure the product.

More information regarding the findings could be seen via the Journal of Neurotrama.

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