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Anchor>> Coaches and schools always take precautions before putting a player with a head injury
back in the game or classroom. Well now research at the University of Rochester may give them
immediate results on how seriously a player is hurt. Caroline Tucker explains:
Reporter>> Hockey is a contact sport. The players on the RIT men's hockey team don't
deny that. Sometimes you get your bell rung pretty hard
whether it be a hit or there is fighting in junior hockey.
Reporter>. But when you take a blow to the head - concussion symptoms can vary.
Senior Ben Lynch has had a few. Lynch>>It starts to get a little ringing in
your head and you try to remember things and you can't remember things that happened five
minutes ago. Reporter>>.Dr. Jeff Bazarian at the University
of Rochester and researchers in Germany have studied these hockey players and other athletes
over the last four years. They have discovered that a brain protein
in the blood: S100B jumps slightly during exercise.
But after a concussion - there is a major spike.
Doctor>>It looks like this one particular blood test is good at distinguishing if an
athlete has had a concussion from and athlete that is just playing their sport.
Reporter>>The hope is to one day have this blood test be a single finger prick along
the sidelines to have those players who need to, stay out of the game, and those who can,
go back in. Reporter>> RIT Men's Hockey Coach Wayne Wilson
struggles with players who want get back on the ice even after injuries.
Wilson>>I think it takes all of the guess work out. then you have an immediate answer.
He is concussed, he can not play. There are certain athletes that try to hide it.
Reporter>>Dr. Bazarian says concussions have short-term effects but the real worry is possible
dementia down the road. The technology exists to do these tests but
it needs FDA approval. Doctor>>It costs about $1-2 million for a
company to bring a test through the FDA. I am hoping that a company will see this as
a risk worth taking. Lynch>> At the end of the day, it's just a
game. We are all going to be done playing some day. And you have to move on, get a job,
and live your life and you don't want to be living with head problems.
Reporter>> And worthy of that goal. Caroline Tucker, News 8