The Medical College of Wisconsin recently received a three-year, $1.9 million grant from the Department of Defense’s U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command. The grant will be used for research dedicated to finding the most valid, effective screening tool for concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury.
Michael McCrea, Ph.D., professor of neurosurgery and neurology and the director of brain injury research at the Medical College, is the primary investigator of the grant.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1.7 million people experience a traumatic brain injury every year.
A number of computerized neurocognitive assessment tools have been developed in to diagnose the severity and cognitive effects of mild traumatic brain injury, but there is little data on their reliability, validity and clinical utility.
McCrea will compare the four leading assessment tools to measure their reliability in detecting cognitive impairments in both athletes and civilians who have suffered mild traumatic brain injuries. Additionally, the tests will be evaluated for their value in detecting the time course for clinical recovery.
