How Predictive Systems Can Be Used to Prevent Damage to the Brain

Carnegie Mellon's Brad Mahon, professor of psychology and member of the CMU Neuroscience Institute, leads research that bridges neuroscience, engineering and data science to create predictive systems that guard against invisible damage to the brain. Collaborating with Carnegie Mellon's football team allows real-time data to be collected from accelerometer-embedded mouth guards. Combined with pre- and post-season MRI data, and with support from the Chuck Noll Foundation, Mahon's team can model how forces accumulate, and identify regions most at risk - which Dr. Joseph Maroon, a world-renowned neurosurgeon and expert in sports medicine, says has significant implications for not only contact sports athletes, but for all patients.