Using neuroimaging methods to develop biomarkers of concussive and sub-concussive head injuries

A single blow to the head can disrupt balance for weeks, but doctors currently have no reliable biological test to confirm or measure that damage. This studentship aims to build those tests. Concussion and sub-concussion—head impacts that cause no obvious symptoms—are a growing concern in sports and the military, yet no biomarkers exist to diagnose them objectively. The student will use a new type of brain scanner called OPM-MEG, which measures magnetic fields from neural activity while a person moves freely. By scanning people with head injuries as they perform balance tasks, the researcher will look for specific patterns of brain activity that correlate with their reported dizziness or unsteadiness. If successful, the work could produce a practical, non-invasive biomarker for concussion. That would give clinicians, coaches, and military medics a clear, objective way to decide when an athlete or soldier can safely return to activity, rather than relying on subjective symptom reports. The project is exploratory and fundamental—it is not yet designing a clinical device—but establishing a neural signature for balance disruption after head injury is a necessary first step toward that goal.