Cranial Accelerometry for Concussion Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing concussions lack objective physiological testing, relying on subjective neurocognitive signs and symptoms, and are unable to detect subtle brain injuries or monitor recovery effectively, especially in cases where standard neuroimaging is not applicable or available.
Innovation Solution
The use of highly sensitive accelerometers attached to the patient's head to measure skull motion caused by cerebral blood flow, analyzing frequency and intensity patterns above the fourth harmonic of the heartbeat to detect concussions through ratios R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, without requiring baseline data, and utilizing a Campbell diagram for confirmation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If standard neuroimaging (CT and MRI) is used to evaluate concussion, then skull fractures, extra-axial bleeding, and contusions can be detected, but these injuries are unlikely to be present after concussions and the imaging is expensive, time-consuming, and not easily transportable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex medical imaging systems (CT and MRI) with a simple accelerometer-based mechanical sensing system. The accelerometer detects skull motion produced by pulsatile cerebral blood flow, substituting sophisticated imaging technology with a straightforward mechanical measurement approach that is less expensive, more portable, and equally effective for detecting concussion-related changes in skull motion patterns.
2Measurement precision
If fMRI is used to measure changes in blood flow during brain activation, then potential concussion evaluation is achieved, but it is expensive, time-consuming, not applicable when metal such as orthodontic braces are present, and not easily transportable or widely available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes fMRI's complex electromagnetic measurement system with a simple mechanical accelerometer that detects skull motion. This replacement eliminates contraindications for patients with metal implants, reduces cost and time requirements, and enables widespread deployment in diverse settings including sports fields and clinics without specialized imaging infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses skull motion produced by pulsatile cerebral blood flow as an intermediary measurement. Instead of directly imaging blood flow with fMRI, the system measures the mechanical effect of blood flow on the skull through accelerometers, providing an indirect but equally informative measure that is more accessible and less restrictive.
3Ease of operation
If concussion diagnosis relies on the constellation of neurocognitive signs and symptoms, then diagnosis can be made in clinical practice, but the list of signs and symptoms is long and subjective, lacking validated objective findings or imaging criteria
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective neurocognitive assessment with an objective mechanical measurement system. The accelerometer quantifies skull motion patterns in response to pulsatile blood flow, providing numerical data that objectively indicates concussion presence and monitoring recovery progression, eliminating reliance on lengthy and subjective symptom checklists.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables early and accurate detection of concussions with high sensitivity and specificity, allowing for monitoring of recovery and providing a reliable means to identify concussion even in the developing period after a traumatic event, without the need for baseline data or expensive imaging techniques.
Implementation Method 1
cranial accelerometry using one or more accelerometers attached to a patient's head
Implementation Method 2
skull motion produced by pulsatile cerebral blood flow
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for detecting brain concussion includes detecting and measuring of acceleration at one or more points on a subject's head. Sensors, which can be accelerometers placed against the head, detect and measure natural motions of the patient's head due to blood flow in the brain and resultant movement of tissue in the brain. The acceleration data are then analyzed, including as to frequency of motions of the skull at the subject location in a frequency range of about 1 to 20 Hz. An observation is then made, as compared with data corresponding to non-concussion, of a change in frequency response pattern exhibited when accelerations are plotted as a function of time or frequency, to identify probable concussion if the frequency response pattern indicates concussion. Preferably the observation and comparison are made by a computer using an algorithm.