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Head & Neck Trauma

Research

The TBI/Concussion Prevention Pillar focuses on reducing the incidence and impact of mild traumatic brain injuries in high-risk populations, including athletes, military personnel, and young adults. With concussions representing the majority of TBIs, this pillar prioritizes early prevention, improved assessment, and evidence-based strategies to protect brain health and long-term cognitive function.

What We Do

This pillar develops and tests innovative, mechanism-based approaches to prevent and better detect concussions. A central focus is neck strength and biomechanics, including the development of tools that measure and predict injury risk based on head and neck force absorption. Researchers also work to improve concussion diagnosis through advanced accelerometer-based technologies and mobile applications, in collaboration with industry partners. Military-focused studies further evaluate prevention strategies in operational environments where injury risk is high.

Impact

Through interdisciplinary research and partnerships with military, academic, and industry organizations, this pillar advances both prevention tools and diagnostic technologies that improve brain health outcomes. The work supports commercialization pathways for new assessment technologies while strengthening research funding opportunities and expanding real-world applications in sports medicine and military readiness.

Explore Our Projects

A multidisciplinary research team, led by Dr. Lindsey Schroeder and Dr. Alex McDaniel, has developed the Neck Strength Assessment Tool (NSAT) with a corresponding mobile application and is developing a preventative algorithm. Enhancing neck strength emerges as a viable and quantifiable strategy to mitigate the risk of TBIs, particularly concussions, by directly addressing the forces contributing to such injuries. The NSAT has the ability to measure neck strength to determine if neck strengthening protocols are effective. This project is currently supported by the UNCW Brain Health Resilience Research Hub Grant and NC Biotechnology Center Translational Research Grant (TRG).

Led by Dr. Len Lecci, this research involves a partnership with a private company that is housed at UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship; SportGait and its parent company, LifeGait. Current concussion assessments fail to properly identify the consequences of concussion, resulting in those with undiagnosed or not-yet-recovered concussions engaging in activities that result in more significant or even permanent brain damage. This research has focused on assessing the neurocognitive, neurobehavioral, and affective consequences of concussion using accelerometer-based assessments that are deliverable via a mobile App to improve the diagnostic and recovery decisions of medical professionals. This project is currently supported by the UNCW Brain Health Resilience Research Hub Grant.

This project recently received an approximately $1.3 million grant from the NC Innovation Funding Mechanism (NCI) and aligns closely with the Brain Health Resilience Initiative through the development of a sensor-integrated pillowcase fabric designed for advanced EEG-based neurosensing. The innovative Fabric as a Sensor™ (FaaS) platform enables comprehensive analysis of neural electrical activity through global waveform assessment while simultaneously classifying sleep-stage patterns. In addition to neurophysiological monitoring, the technology is currently undergoing testing to validate the capture of heart rate variability (HRV) metrics and is being expanded to incorporate electrocardiography (ECG) and electromyography (EMG) capabilities. Collectively, these multimodal sensing features provide a framework for continuous, non-invasive physiological monitoring. The overarching objective of this project is to translate this foundational research into a commercially viable technology platform, supporting the creation of a university-affiliated spin-out company and accelerating the deployment of innovative brain health solutions to the marketplace.