Wireless Technique Gives Quick, Cheap Read on Brain Injuries

Boris Rubinsky an engineering professor from the University of California, Berkeley has developed a machine that can monitor brain activity and electrical signals by emitting radio-frequency signals through a helmet shaped device. Coils on either side of the device send radio-frequency signals through the brain and based on the amount of conductance through the brain at different frequencies, the state of the brain tissue can be determined. The device can detect swelling and internal bleeding which may not be apparent on the outside of the cranium. The tissue of the brain conducts the signals well over a small range of frequency and tissue containing an excess amount of blood conducts over a different range this allows the computer to diagnose a general head injury and support a trip to the hospital for an MRI or CT scan and treatment.

These devices would prove very useful in poor countries where health care is expensive or in rural areas where the nearest hospital is hours away. In emergency situations such as after a car accident paramedics could easily determine the severity of brain injury of multiple passengers and send the ones with brain trauma directly to the emergency room. Rubinsky plans to modify the machine to eventually be able to detect brain tumors and infections as well.

This article caught my attention firstly because the picture of this device looks somewhat like a sci-fi brain control unit. As I read the article I was intrigued by the possible uses for this device especially in developing countries or in emergency situations. Since the brain is a gigantic mystery and the current methods of diagnosing injury are large MRI machines located only in hospitals, the effect of a "pre-diagnosing" machine means less lost time, money and unnecessary hospital trips. I especially found this interesting after learning about the central nervous system and the brain in class and the effects of tissue swelling or hemorrhage in the brain.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/diagnostics/wireless-technique-gives-quick-cheap-read-on-brain-injuries