Identifying Traumatic Brain Injuries Using a Morlet Wavelet fNIRS Analysis in Role of Care 1 and 2 Environments: A...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) poses a significant health risk in military and sports contexts.
• Current neuroimaging methods are often impractical for field settings.
• Developing rapid, noninvasive TBI assessment tools is crucial for timely medical intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for identifying TBI in field environments (Role of Care 1 and 2).
• To establish fNIRS as a rapid, noninvasive neuroimaging technique for assessing brain injuries in deployed or remote settings.
• To analyze fNIRS data using a Morlet wavelet approach for quick interpretation.

Main Methods:

• Twelve Division 1 athletes diagnosed with TBI participated.
• fNIRS was applied to injured and control brain regions during a reaction time test within 24 hours of injury.
• Assessments were conducted in Role of Care 1 or 2 environments.
• Morlet wavelet analysis was employed for rapid data interpretation.

Main Results:

• The Morlet wavelet fNIRS analysis successfully identified the injured brain region.
• Significantly elevated total hemoglobin (tHb), oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb), and deoxygenated hemoglobin (hHb) were observed in the injured area.
• Athletes showed improved simple reaction time upon return to play compared to initial assessment and return to activity.

Conclusions:

• fNIRS, analyzed with the Morlet wavelet method, effectively detected TBI in field settings (ROC 1 and 2).
• The technique identified injured brain regions at initial, return to activity, and return to play timepoints.
• While fNIRS detected TBI, enhanced sensitivity is required for monitoring recovery progression over time.