STANFORD — Stanford researchers have made headway in understanding the causes of concussions that could lead to improvements in helmet design and onsite detection at sporting events.
In a study published in Physical Review Letters the bioengineers found concussions and other mild head injuries seem to occur when an area deep in the brain shakes more rapidly and intensely than surrounding parts of the organ.
“We are pinpointing the weak point in the brain during impact with the biomechanical and physical understanding,” said Mehmet Kurt, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.