Over the years, much study has been conducted on brain injury. But this time, the spotlight is on some up-and-coming Ontario-grown research. Three universities are banding together to study the impact of trauma on areas of the brain that, until now, have remained uncharted. The learnings may eventually provide data that could result in a safer design for the high-impact sport of football.
Three Universities to Collaborate
The study is a joint effort shared by the Universities of Ottawa, Waterloo, and Carleton. The team announced in August of this year that they had been granted $700,000 to carry out the study over the next three years.
Prior research has looked at concussion in certain regions of the brain, but still, other cerebral areas remain unexplored. The researchers seek to map those areas and investigate how they respond to trauma.
"No one else in the world will have these data sets," says Dr. Blaine Hoshizaki, director of the Neurotrauma Impact Science Laboratory at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Hoshizaki has already done work on improved helmet safety standards and design with the likes of Harvard and the NFL. Now, he and his colleagues are combining their brainpower and world-class technology to further the world's understanding of brain injury.
Exploring the Delicate Brain's Response to Impact and Trauma
According to Dr. Hoshizaki, the brain is mostly composed of water. Like jello, it doesn't easily compact when subjected to force. However, it does move around, deform and shear, which can cause neurological damage.
Among other goals, the study aims to examine unexplored brain areas that may play a greater role in predicting risk than is presently known. Researchers are also interested to understand the effect of major, one-time trauma to the head compared with that of repeated, lower-impact blows over a longer expanse of time.
In the end, the team hopes that their work will eventually lead to findings that improve helmet safety – possibly with equipment that can reduce both brain rotation upon impact and, thereby, the risk of injury.
Gluckstein Lawyers congratulates the scientists on their grant and wish them the best of success in their worthwhile work.
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