IN THE FORESTVILLE MYSTERY CAVE
PARK IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA.
IT KILLED NEARLY 6 MILLION BATS
IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE
2007.
AMAZING THINGS CAN HAPPEN
WHEN GREAT MINDS COME TOGETHER.
DOCTORS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA AND RESEARCHERS JUST
ANNOUNCED THEY ARE LAUNCHING A
JOINT STUDY ON CONCUSSIONS AND
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.
WE HAVE TO SEE WHAT IS WRONG
AND HOW DO WE TREAT IT.
IT IS THE GOAL TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IS ACTUALLY WRONG AND HOW
TO TREAT IT.
SHE IS A NEUROSURGEON AT
HCMC KNOWN NATIONAL FOR HER
RESEARCH ON BRAIN INJURY.
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIGURE
OUT AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE WHAT
IS WRONG SO THAT WE CAN
IDENTIFY HOW WE TREAT IT.
SHE SAYS EYE TRACKING MAY
DETECT INJURY IN A BRAIN.
THE STUDY WILL LOOK AT HOW
PATIENTS PERFORM ON EYE TESTS
THAT USE HIGH FREQUENCY CAMERA
THAT MAP OUT THE PUPIL.
WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG IN
THE BRAIN, IT AFFECTS THE EYE
MOVEMENTS IN PARTICULAR WAYS.
A SECOND PART OF THE STUDY
WILL INVOLVE BLOOD TESTS.
THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO
LOOK AT MARKERS IN THE BLOOD
THAT INDICATE WHICH CELL TYPES
ARE DAMAGED IN THE BRAIN.
SHE SAYS MRI'S CAN ALSO TELL
US MORE ABOUT THE BRAIN.
THAT MRI SCAN WILL BE USED
TO LOOK FOR SUBTLE CHANGES THAT
YOU DON'T NECESSARILY SEE ON
THE T BUT ARE PATH MOM MICK FOR
INJURY.
WITH NEARLY 2 MILLION
PEOPLE SENT TO EMERGENCY ROOMS
EACH YEAR, SHE SAYS DOCTORS
NEED TO FINE-TUNE THEIR WORK
AND THE TOOLS AVAILABLE TO
THEM.
WE'RE IN OUR INFANCY ON
CONCUSSION TREATMENT AND
CONCUSSION DIAGNOSIS.
RESEARCHERS PLAN TO SCREEN
9,000 TRAUMA PATIENTS BUT ONLY
1,000 WILL BE ENROLLED IN THE
STUDY AND THAT INCLUDES
CHILDREN AND ADULTS.
