In a unique application of virtual reality, researchers from SyncThink have created a new way to undergo advanced cognitive assessment for brain injury.
Orange County, CA - October 5th 2016 - The trepidation of brain injury has everyone from doctors to little league coaches worried about the repercussions of a concussion. Ambiguously defined as a traumatic brain injury that alters brain functionality, researchers are still relatively uninformed about these injuries and how to define them in laymen terms. It is known however, that the brain perceives moving objects’ trajectories in order to predict there end point. The brain is able to do this by not working in “real-time, ” instead the object is shifted forward to make up for time forfeited while traveling to the visual cortex. This allows humans to observe and interact with the world’s fast pace, creating the “new” perceived speed witnessed.
Concussion evaluation consists of two tests assessing the individual’s balance and eye activity. While balance can easily be assessed, examining the accuracy of eyes tracking rapidly moving objects is onerous and the motivation behind the EYE-SYNC.
Created by SyncThink, a Boston firm dedicated to assessing concussions, EYE-SYNC is able to quickly detect if the patient’s eyes have any hindrance in tracking moving objects. This is done through an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset that has been modified with built in eye tracking capabilities.
Once the head set is on and the program activated, eye tracking is calibrated by the patient looking at a dot that will then disappear and reappear in a different locations. Once the test is initiated, the dot travels 2 times along an invisible circle in about a minute’s time.
Most clots in the brain are found in the frontal cortex, responsible for a multitude of tasks including the slowing of moving objects. This results in patients' eyes jumping or darting around when attempting to focus on contrivance movement after a brain injury. Results from a healthy individual compared to those suffering from a head injury are noticeably different in motion pattern and obviously indicative of a problem, but the test can be taken on a regular basis to encourage concussed patient’s recovery amd prevent further injury.
The EYE-SYNC was given FDA clearance back in March and is already being used in the field at universities like Stanford. Jamshid Ghajar MD, director of the Stanford Concussion and Brain Performance Center is also Chairman of the Board and Scientific Adviser of SyncThink. Ghajar, along with Stanford’s director of athletic training, Scott Anderson, introduced the EYE-SYNC at Stanford and have since attested its use in follow up examinations. The device is now part of Stanford’s concussion management protocol and is used on every athlete suspected of injury.
Thanks to the application of VR, patients can now have an advanced cognitive assessment in a clinic or on the field.
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In a unique application of virtual reality, researchers from SyncThink have created a new way to undergo advanced cognitive assessment for brain injury. Orange County, CA – October 5th 2016 – The trepidation of brain injury has everyone from doctors to little league coaches worried about the repercussions of a concussion. Ambiguously defined as a traumatic […]