Baseline brain testing grows in popularity

Amid growing concerns about concussions, more student athletes are having their brain function tested prior to injury in a procedure called baseline testing that is becoming increasingly mainstream.

Baseline tests can be used for comparison to neurological exams after an athlete suffers a concussion to help choose the best treatment.

The tests, on the market for a few years, are used mostly by school athletic programs and collegiate and professional teams.

This summer, HeadFirst began offering the test to patients at concussion centers in Gambrills and Annapolis. HeadFirst, an affiliate of Crofton-based Righttime Medical Care, uses the ImPact test.

But even as use of the tests grows, some say the tests are unreliable and that athletes could be allowed to return to play before their concussions are fully healed.

Parents who took their kids to the Gambrills center recently said they know the tests can't prevent concussions, but it gives them an added level of comfort.

Tim Poole's son Sean, 13, is playing football for the first time this fall. When Poole heard about baseline testing while picking up his son's equipment, he quickly made an appointment for Sean. Poole used to coach basketball and remembers how frequently his players suffered concussions.

"With the prevalence of concussions in the news, I just wanted to be safe," Poole said. "It's smart to have a baseline test so you know the severity of the concussion and where he started from."

The computerized test is administered free by HeadFirst, and takers are given 30 minutes to complete it. It involves exercises that test a wide range of cognitive functioning, including attention span, memory and reaction time. On one part, test takers are shown shapes and then asked to recall them when listed in a different sequence.

Awareness about concussions has increased in recent years, particularly as NFL players have been shown to have suffered permanent brain damage from multiple concussions. In 2011, the General Assembly passed a law requiring coaches in Maryland to watch training videos about concussions. It also requires that athletes with concussion symptoms be kept from playing until cleared by a physician. Students and their parent or guardian must sign a letter saying that they received information on concussions before the student can play a school sport.

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Baseline brain testing grows in popularity