HIDEN Risk Assessment for Cumulative Brain White Matter Injury
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for assessing head impact risks in sports and military contexts are primarily concussion-centric, failing to account for the cumulative effects of repetitive head impacts (RHI) that can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other neurodegenerative diseases, even at impact levels below those causing concussions.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using a head impact dose equivalent number (HIDEN) process that calculates a cumulative risk assessment by measuring the energy and timing of each RHI, incorporating a sensor system, clock, and computer to estimate and record impact energies, and provide real-time risk notifications based on sub-population-specific risk assessment algorithms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If concussion-centric assessment systems are used, then immediate head impact risks can be identified, but cumulative effects of repetitive head impacts leading to chronic traumatic encephalopathy cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of cumulative head impact dose by continuously accumulating and weighting impact data from multiple events before irreversible brain damage occurs. The HIDEN calculation proactively quantifies the cumulative effect of repetitive impacts, allowing intervention before chronic traumatic encephalopathy develops.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a temporal dimension to head impact assessment by weighting each impact based on the time elapsed since previous impacts. This time-weighted approach transforms discrete impact measurements into a cumulative dose metric that captures the progressive nature of white matter damage from repetitive head trauma.
2Reliability
If head impact monitoring systems continuously track cumulative dose, then early detection of white matter changes is enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms complex multi-event impact data into a single quantitative parameter - the Head Impact Dose Equivalent Number (HIDEN). By converting cumulative weighted impacts into this unified dose metric, the system simplifies the assessment process while maintaining the ability to detect early white matter changes through established DTI correlations.
Solution Approach 2:
The HIDEN serves as an intermediary metric that bridges the gap between raw sensor data and clinical outcomes. It translates complex patterns of repetitive head impacts into a single interpretable dose value that can be correlated with white matter changes detected by DTI, simplifying the overall assessment workflow.
3Measurement precision
If time-weighted cumulative impact calculations are performed, then accurate risk assessment of white matter changes is achieved, but computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The computational task is segmented into discrete, manageable components: each head impact event is processed individually with its own time-weighted calculation based on the formula HIDEN = Σ(hiti × wti). This segmentation allows efficient processing of multiple impacts without requiring computationally intensive analysis of the entire impact history at once.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs periodic updates of the HIDEN value as new impact events occur, using the time-weighted formula to incorporate each new impact. This periodic recalculation approach maintains accurate cumulative assessment while using minimal computational resources compared to continuous complex modeling.
Data Source
AI summary
A system to assess risk of changes to brain white matter includes a sensor system adapted to measure an energy of each impact to an individual belonging to a sub-population that causes a repetitive head impact (RHI). A head impact dose equivalent number (HIDEN) process calculates a HIDEN for a most recent RHI event based on the energy of the most recent RHI event, a time of the most recent RHI, and all previously recorded RHI events available in a non-volatile memory. A sub-population function process calculates a risk assessment number based on the sub-population and the HIDEN. A risk assessment notification means provides a notification of the risk assessment number. A method to assess risk of changes to brain white matter based on a head impact dose equivalent number and a method to define a sub-population function to convert a HIDEN to a risk assessment value is also described.