• Skip to Content
  • Skip to Sidebar
IU

Indiana University Indiana University IU

Innovate IndianaNews and information on how IU is driving innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development

Sideline diagnosis of concussions is the goal of two researchers at IU's School of Optometry

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Bill W. Hornaday

PORT1
Dr. Andy S. Hipskind, Nicholas Port and Dr. Terry Horner, from left, at a recent IU football game
PORT2
Amanda Madsen, Billy Means and Dr. Steve Hitzeman, from left, perform eye-movement and balance tests.

 

In a November 22 NFL game between the St. Louis Rams and the Baltimore Ravens, Rams quarterback Case Keenum was sacked in the fourth quarter and hit his head on the turf. Despite the Rams sending their head trainer on the field to talk with Keenum — and the presence of an NFL injury spotter — Keenum remained in the game. He was sacked again two plays later and fumbled the ball as the Rams went on to lose the contest. Only after the game was it found that Keenum had suffered a concussion.

Such situations could become a thing of the past if the research being conducted by Nicholas Port and Steven A. Hitzeman of comes to fruition. With grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Indiana Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Fund, they are developing a portable sideline device that will be able to quickly detect signs of mild brain trauma.

Since 2010, Port and Hitzeman, researchers at the IU School of Optometry, have gathered baseline data on the eye movements and balance of IU athletes and have since expanded their work to Bloomington North and South high schools and local club and youth sports.

To measure concussion symptoms, Port devised a system that consists of eye-tracking goggles within a shoebox-sized device and a balance platform based on technology in Nintendo’s Wii gaming system. By comparing an athlete’s baseline numbers with similar tests after a high-impact blow, athletic trainers can quickly determine whether the athlete suffered a concussion and should be withheld from competition. With the aid of the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp., such a device has considerable commercial potential as well.

So far, data on more than 1,000 athletes — as well as 69 concussions — has been collected, about two-thirds of which came from football. Although there is not yet enough information to produce statistically valid conclusions, Port said, the data indicates that “some ocular and motor performance can be severely impaired during the acute phase of a concussion, which is the first 10 minutes to an hour after a concussion occurs.”

Read more about Port and Hitzeman’s research here.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed under: Economic DevelopmentTagged Intellectual property, IU School of Medicine, IU-Bloomington, Small Business & Entrepreneurship, STEM (science, Technology Transfer

Additional Content

Innovate Indiana Button

Search Innovate Indiana

About Innovate Indiana

Join us as we highlight how IU innovation is accelerating economic growth in Indiana and beyond and creating a culture of entrepreneurship across the Hoosier state.

Innovate Indiana is maintained by the Indiana University Office of the Vice President for University Relations.

Subscribe to the Innovate Indiana Blog

Sign up to receive regular updates from Innovate Indiana Blog

Please, insert a valid email.

Thank you, your email will be added to the mailing list once you click on the link in the confirmation email.

Spam protection has stopped this request. Please contact site owner for help.

This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent Posts

  • IU researchers seek to commercialize AI tool to identify undiagnosed cases of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia January 24, 2023
  • IU researchers win Translational Research grant for plastic neutron shield material technology January 20, 2023
  • IU program hits new milestones on path to accelerate new innovations in defense, national security November 18, 2022
  • In the trenches: IUPUI students put data skills to the test in helping to determine economic impact of College Football Playoff title game November 17, 2022
  • Shining the spotlight on IU entrepreneurs, innovators November 15, 2022

Categories

Bookmarks

  • Innovate Indiana website
  • IU Center on Representative Government
  • IU Impact
  • IU Innovation and Commercialization Office
  • IU Office of the Vice President for Research
  • IU Office of the Vice President for University Relations
  • IU Ventures

Indiana University

Copyright © 2022 The Trustees of Indiana University | Privacy Notice | Accessibility Help

Subscribe

Subscribe By Email

Get every new post delivered right to your inbox.

This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.