Concussion and Improved Baseline Testing for the Brain

We see athletes from all levels, from High school to professional and there is one common theme…that concussion and baseline testing of the brain and its performance can be much better.This episode dives into the current trends in concussion baseline testing as well as what other options are out there to help refine and improve the assessment and ultimately improve brain performance and safety.Both Drs Rayner and Nutt have played sports at a high level, from lacrosse to hockey, and know first hand that getting a concussion can be devastating. Even more devastating is when you, your child or the athlete returns too soon before a TRUE return to normal brain function has occurred.Your baseline concussion is only as good as what you initially and consistently measure and when it comes to athletes most baseline brain assessments do not measure much beyond cognitive function. Using measures like the VNG to assess eye movements has been demonstrated to be a predictable measure of brain performance and pull in many regions of brain function. Eye movements accurately capture the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, vestibular and cerebellar function as well as regions of the brain stem. Not only does this allow for better baseline testing this can also identify areas of weakness in the athlete that can be targeted and improved with functional neurological techniques that drive neuroplasticity in these areas. This ultimately leads to a better athlete that can interact with their environment more precisely. One can also argue that this can help minimize their concussion risk as well as lead to a more thorough baseline assessment.It is also important to note that parents and players can find more complete testing and performance monitoring with the various applications like EQ Brain Performance App and C3 Logix. See the Links Below.https://highmark.tech/digital/eq-brain-performance/http://www.c3logix.com/At the end of the day we want to see our athletes have the best oversight and support and we would love to see the baseline concussion standard testing evolve.Please help support this mission in baseline concussion testing by sharing and spreading this podcast and please subscribe for more great functional neurological and functional medicine education as it relates to brain performance as well as many other great topics to help lift up our community and healthcare.