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Researchers Looking At Quicker And Easier Way To Diagnose Concussions

BOSTON (CBS) – Researchers in southern California are looking at a new way to diagnose concussions in athletes quickly and more easily.

High school junior Kordell Ross says he blacked out after making a tackle in football practice last year.

"They had me try to remember five words and I couldn't remember any of them," says Ross. "And then they made me stand up and try to walk but I couldn't do it."

Ross is part of a study testing a faster way to detect concussions. It involves a headset called a transcranial Doppler device. It uses ultrasound to map blood flow changes in the brain

"The brain is very good at regulating blood flow and during a concussion it impairs the ability of the brain to regulate blood flow," says Richard Hamilton, the study author and co-founder of Neural Analytics, the company that conducted the research.

The study compared ultrasounds of more than 200 high school athletes. The technology was able to tell if a player had a concussion 83 percent of the time.

Concussion Test
Researchers believe a device will be revolutionary in diagnosing concussions quickly and easily. (WBZ-TV)

Researchers say the ultimate goal would be to use the portable ultrasound headset on the sidelines so coaches can determine if an injured athlete needs more tests

"Right now, we're in the research phase of this," explains Hamilton.

Ross' football coach, Scott Altenberg, says the headset would him help do his job.

"A tool like this is amazing because it allows you to assess what your brain activity is and what level of concussion and where you are and how soon you can come back," said Altenberg.

It would also help better protect his athletes so they can keep pursuing their dreams.

Students in the study participated in many different kinds of sports including football, soccer, basketball, cheerleading and track. The study included both boys and girls.

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