Curbing Concussions Part 1: NewsChannel 9 gets an inside look at new medical devices Copyright 2019 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Video Video

SYRACUSE (WSYR-TV) - Seven high school football players have died this season from game-related injuries, but they're not the only athletes at risk for a head injury.



Concussion rates have more than doubled in the past ten years and many people want to know, what's being done in the world of medicine, to curb concussions?



NewsChannel 9's Rachel Polansky takes us inside the motion laboratory at Upstate Medical University -- where researchers demonstrate new medical devices being developed and tested in Syracuse, to curb concussions.



BrainScope is a company developing a new device to test head injuries more objectively.



Its staff is working with researchers at Upstate, and their subjects are Central New York college athletes.



Athletes have been split into two groups, healthy or injured. They're tested pre-season, post-season and during the season if they get injured.



"You test them as soon as they get hurt, within 24 hours, then 5 days after injury, then the day they return to play, and 45 days after they return to play," says Josh Baracks, BrainScope study coordinator.



The BrainScope device looks like a headband. It uses electrodes to study brain waves, detecting and recording activity, and sending that information to a hand-held computer device



"The goal is, is this device able to determine if someone gets a serious head injury or if they just got a shot to the head and their brain is not injured?" says Baracks.



Motion Intelligence is a company developing a balance measurement tool.



"It's a sensor that you can wear around your waist," says Christopher Neville, PhD, Upstate's Concussion Management Program.



It looks like a belt but it helps doctors measure cognition and balance -- after athletes take part in a series of tests.



"We're sitting here in a motion lab. Labs like this are designed to objectively measure motion. However, bringing everyone to a lab is not really convenient. We need more portable tools that measure what we need them to measure, but don't require all the time and expertise of running a lab," says Neville.



Both the BrainScope headband and the Motion Intelligence belt are still being studied, but researchers believe these devices could lead to better diagnosis, treatment, and assessment of concussions.



And that's something that athletes say is needed on and off the field.



"I've had three concussions. They're not fun. You feel sick, and you're sensitive to light and sound," says Brittany McGraw-Wixson, plays soccer at OCC.



McGraw-Wixson has been playing soccer since she was 7-years-old.



She loves the sport, but she admits it's not all fun and games.



"There's long-term effects of concussions and some people don't take it seriously. I definitely have long-term effects of all three of my concussions," says McGraw-Wixson.



McGraw-Wixson says many athletes hide their concussion symptoms, or downplay their injuries, so they can stay in the game.



She thinks a scientific device, like the BrainScope headband or the Motion Intelligence belt, could change the way college sports are played.



"It would definitely be a lot better. You can't cheat a device, like you can cheat the test now," says McGraw-Wixson.

Click here to watch Curbing Concussions Part Two.