CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Amit Reches, Vice President of Research and Development at ElMindA Ltd., received the International Clinical Scholar Award at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Boston, Mass. The International Clinical Scholar Award recognizes top athlete care, clinical medicine abstract, or case paper submitted for presentation at the annual meeting. Reches accepted the award as lead author for the study titled, “Accumulated G-Forces Sustained During Hockey Correlate with Changes in Brain Network Activation Score.”
The purpose of the study was to measure neurophysiological changes of the brain after head impacts while wearing a collar apparatus which causes gentle compression of the internal jugular veins, thus restricting venous outflow and increasing venous sinus engorgement. This compression reduces brain movement within the cranial cavity upon impact. BNA (Brain Network Activation) analysis of electrophysiological data (EEG-ERP), recorded while athletes performed a specific neuro-cognitive task, was used to evaluate brain network dynamics associated with accumulated G-force exposure, with and without the collar intervention.
Fourteen male high school ice hockey players participated in the prospective, randomized clinical trial. Subjects underwent a pre-season and mid-season BNA assessment and analysis, helmet sensors were used to collect head impact and acceleration data. BNA compares an athlete’s brain network dynamics to the brain network dynamics of a healthy reference group. BNA was also used in the evaluation of important accumulated head impact data.
The study showed that subjects without a jugular vein-compression collar who sustained multiple head impacts while playing ice hockey exhibited changes in their brain network dynamics, as measured by BNA analysis. High correlation was reported between the accumulated G-force exposure and the magnitude of the changes in BNA. Subjects who wore a jugular vein-compression collar exhibited a smaller change in BNA brain networks dynamics than subjects who did not wear the collar, therefore supporting the contention that mild jugular vein compression may be a protective mechanism against sport-related mTBI.
“Being recognized with the International Clinical Scholar Award is a great achievement for our research team,” said Reches. “We’re especially proud because this award recognizes the importance of studying the effect of repeated sub-concussive blows to the head and ways to mitigate the potential risk – a great promise for the future of brain health,” he added.
Supporting study authors include Kim D. Barber Foss, Staci Thomas, Chris DiCesare, Ph.D, Adam W. Kiefer, Ph.D, Darcy Krueger, M.D., Ph.D, and Gregory D. Myer, Ph.D, FACSM, CSCS*D all of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Michal Weiss and Amir B. Geva, Ph.D of ElMindA, Ltd. and Ben Gurion University.
About BNA™
BNA™ is a breakthrough technology to monitor and manage the health of your brain. It combines non-invasive, multi-channel EEG technology with sophisticated signal processing, analysis algorithms and databases to measure patterns of brain networks activated during specific brain processes to deliver meaningful insights into brain functionality. The BNA Analysis System is to be used by qualified medical professionals for the post-hoc analysis of the human Electroencephalogram (EEG), utilizing evoked response potentials (ERP). The device is indicated in the U.S. for use in individuals 14 to 24 years of age with the Auditory Oddball task only. For more information about BNA visit, http://www.mybna.com.
About ElMindA Ltd.
ElMindA was founded in 2006 by Professor Amir Geva to address an unmet need to objectively assess brain health and brain-related disorders in order to enhance diagnosis and treatment across a full spectrum of neurological and psychological disorders. ElMindA translates state-of-the-art neuroscience via advanced algorithmic science into clinically meaningful Brain Network Activation (BNA™) maps and is a preferred partner of industry-leading organizations based on the rigor of its science and technology development. The World Economic Forum named ElMindA a Technology Pioneer in 2015. For more information, visit www.elminda.com or call 1+ 972-9-951-6476.