With a two-year, $1.3-million grant, researchers from the Lebanon-based company Simbex, Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) and Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth will explore novel approaches to understanding the causes of and clinical outcomes following sports-related concussions.

Co-principal investigators for the project, supported by the National Operating Committee on Standards in Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE), are Simbex president Richard M. Greenwald, PhD, Dartmouth psychiatrist Thomas McAllister, MD, and Dartmouth Assistant Professor of Engineering Songbai Ji, ScD.

"This is a great opportunity to answer important questions related to the link between head impact biomechanics, brain tissue motion, and neuroimaging findings in young athletes who sustain concussions," said Greenwald. "Together, we offer a unique team to rapidly advance scientific knowledge on concussions, and then to immediately translate those findings to the development of improved standards for sports equipment."