The Los Angeles Times examined the helmet study being conducted on the Arizona State football team this season prior to the Sun Devils' loss in the Pac-12 Championship game.
Researchers are looking for a biomarker that would allow trainers to give players a sign that all is clear with concussion symptoms. They would find this in the fluids by looking at RNA, which contain blueprints for proteins and can be analyzed for changes after concussions.
The biomarkers would show a "signature" for each person, showing when the person suffered a brain injury and when the player has recovered, said researcher Dr. Javier Cardenas at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.
-- Bill Bradley, contributing editor
