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A motion sensor attached to the skin could detect concussions
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative brain disease, a consequence of multiple concussions and brain injuries, which results in gradual deterioration and loss of brain mass, accompanied by decreased memory, self-control, and focus, as well as suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, violence, dementia, among others. These injuries occur because of physical contact and sudden head movements, causing the brain to move from back to front and hit.
Courtesy: taken from Dsouza, H., 2022
CTE is mainly experienced in contact sports; it is estimated that in the United States, about 20% of concussions are due to sports and that 99% of NFL players develop CTE. Recently, direct contact has been measured by accelerometers attached to the helmets of athletes, with the limitation that they are not in direct contact with the athlete’s head and that not all contact sports use helmets.
Last June, researchers at Michigan State University published the development of a patch that adheres to the neck of athletes, which strains tension and compression from that part of the body, generating an electrical signal that will be interpreted as kinematic marks experienced by the human brain. This device has the potential to quantify athletes’ exposure to these “risk movements,” which may prevent CTE, as well as help form a parameter that is considered safe in terms of the number of athletes’ exposures.
Writing by
Carmen de la Rocha, PhD
Director of Research and Development at Drox Health Science. PhD in Biotechnology, Master in Biochemical Engineering. More than eleven years of experience in clinical research and basic science with 8 publications in indexed international journals. Member of the National System of Researchers, level I.
