Highmark Interactive recently launched a new mobile application, EQ – Active Brain Tracking to assist in the management of concussion symptoms.
The interactive application uses the latest in neuroscience-engaging games and artificial intelligence to test and track a variety of neurologic functions affected by a number of conditions including concussions.
EQ can be used by athletes, parents and coaches to determine a person’s healthy neurological performance which can then be compared to his or her performance after a hit, fall or collision.
“By using technology, a smartphone and fun games, we can understand a person’s healthy state. Then if there is a collision on the field, ice or at the playground, the same device can be used to run a ‘point of collision’ test,” said Sanjeev Sharma, MD, executive chairman and co-founder of Highmark Interactive.
“This test can be used to determine if there has been a significant variance from an athlete’s healthy results which allows for data-driven decisions and limits the need to guess if someone is okay.”
Highmark Interactive’s team of professional advisors includes Hayley Wickenheiser, five-time Olympic medalist; Mark McMorris, Olympic medalist; Bryce Salvador who competed in the National Hockey League for 14 seasons, Andy O’Brien, director of sport science and performance for the Pittsburgh Penguins; and Chuck Kobasew, who is a 10-year National Hockey League veteran.
The new tool is listed with the Federal Drug Administration and is backed by its medical advisory board which includes Christopher C. Giza, M.D., professor in the department of pediatrics and neurosurgery at University of California, Los Angeles; Grant L. Iverson, Ph.D., professor in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and Mihaly Kis, M.D., a neurosurgeon with Trillium Health Partners.
“EQ represents the fusing of neuroscience video games and artificial intelligence to create an entirely new paradigm in concussion management and assessment. Having been a physician for over 20 years, I’ve seen first-hand how necessary a tool like this is. Our vision has been backed by some of the brightest minds in sports and medicine and we believe EQ is a fundamental shift in neurological performance testing and concussion management,” Sharma said.
Highmark Interactive, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, is a medical technology company with a focus on assessing neurological functional performance and how it is affected after concussions and other traumatic brain injuries and diseases.
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