USF researchers use high-tech monitors to learn about brain injuries

Posted Jun 28, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Jun 28, 2012 at 04:54 PM

USF researchers are looking for veterans to help them out with a study into the relationship between how people walk and how they think.

What’s intriguing about it is the technology involved.

They’re using something similar to the transponders that tell air controllers how to locate airplanes in flight.

With the USF study, the monitoring device will enable researchers to track participants’ as they walk, calculating the slightest deviation from a straight and steady path.

They’ll link what they record with information about the participants’ cognitive abilities, in particular their spatial orientation and ability to plan.

They’re building on research showing that a brain injury will be reflected in a person’s gait. And they’ll be looking for signs of how one’s gait may change as their brain function changes.

It’s part of USF’s Veterans Reintegration program, which includes a $1.6 million grant from the Department of Defense that involves researchers from throughout USF.

The primary researcher on this project is William Kearns, an associate professor in rehab and mental health counseling.

He’s looking for veterans to wear the tracking devises for 30 minutes on four separate occasions.

In return they’ll get $50.

And they’ll help researchers learn more about the complexities of the brain and bring them a little closer to understanding and treating brain injuries.

For more information about the study, you can go here.