When discussing brain injuries of the traumatic variety, concussions are the ones that most commonly come up in the discussions. The more serious concussions are ones that have exponentially more apparent symptoms and is rather hard to diagnose.
However, researches of this topic have developed two new methods in the realm of concussion diagnosis that could help them notice brain injuries that are not as serious as concussions in the future.
Concussions are fairly common brain injuries that come about after the head experiences an impact that temporarily impairs the brain’s ability to function properly. Occasionally, consciousness can be lost during a concussion, but it is not universal.
Some usual symptoms of concussions include increased amounts of both drowsiness and dizziness, as well as a weakened memory, confusion, and recurring headaches. After suffering a concussion, these factors can tend to last for multiple months and, in some cases, even longer.
Despite all of these symptoms, diagnosing a concussion can be quite difficult for medics, at least in terms of criteria that is impenetrably sound. Concussions are typically diagnosed through interviewing and speaking with those who potentially suffer from one and tests that are designed to test the capabilities of the brain in its current state.
At Simon Fraser University, Margot Taylor, a researcher, led other researchers in the pursuit of cultivating a new way for traumatic brain injuries that are on the mild side to be detected. They developed something known as MEG imaging.
While these results were published in a journal known as PLOS Computational Biology, the researchers belonged to the institute of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience at the aforementioned university, which houses the only MEG scanners in west Canada.