UniSA ‘headpulse’ research shows concussion comebacks in new light

UniSA research may be a literal game changer for judging when an athlete has truly recovered from concussion.

“Headpulses” could help determine when an athlete is truly ready to return to play after a concussion, based on new research from the University of South Australia.

The work found many athletes still have brain risks despite subjective tests showing they feel fine and feel ready to resume training and playing.

Recovery time for many could be three to four weeks based on this test.

The research in partnership with the University of California San Francisco found changes in micromovements of the brain – headpulses – could detect the lasting impacts of a concussion.

The study used a custom-designed MindRhythm headset to evaluate headpulse biometrics among 101 amateur male and female Australian rules football players in South Australia which identified brain abnormalities in 81 per cent of players inflicted by concussion, signalling sustained injury beyond expected recovery times.

In what could be literally a game changer, the work found 50 per cent of athletes in the study said they had no symptoms including headaches seven days after a serious head knock — but the brain biometrics showed it took 21 days for the brains of half of the athletes to return to normal.

UniSA Professor of Exercise Science Kevin Norton said the study ruled out using the technology for sideline decisions during play but could complement longer termreturn-to-play protocols.

UniSA Professor of Exercise Science Kevin Norton.

“While we know Australia’s sports sector takes concussions seriously – via considered return-to-play protocols – we also know that objective measures of concussion recovery are not fully established,” he said.

“In this research, we used headpulses – a normal measure of brain ‘wobble’ aligned with each heartbeat – to assess any changes in frequency resulting from a concussion.

“We discovered that almost all players who received a concussion had a ‘disconnect’ between their symptoms and the headpulse, such that even when the players said they felt good, the headpulse still showed evidence of brain injury.”

While most players felt that they had recovered 10-14 days after their injury, the research showed that some players took up to four weeks to recover and return to normal headpulse patterns.

AFL concussion recovery protocols require 24 to 48 hours of strict physical and cognitive rest, followed by graded individual then team training provided there is no symptom exacerbation; the earliest allowed return-to-play after protocol completion and medical clearance is 12 days after a concussion.

Prof Norton noted current tests are subjective and may be coloured by the honesty of answers from players desperate to get back on the field.

“In terms of return to play, this could be a very useful adjunct in an objective way to a paint a picture of when someone is ready to train and play,” he said. “It is very good addition to determine when someone’s brain has returned to normal.”

Prof Norton stressed it may be several years before such a test is available for sports codes, due to the need for further tests and Therapeutic Goods Administration approval.