Neuroscientist partners with law firm for concussion research 

Image of some damaged neural networks in a concussed brain. Image courtesy of Andrea Soddu, Western University - A bruised leg is relatively easy to diagnose and treat, and has a predictable recovery time; a wounded brain, much less so. Now, a Western physicist-turned-neuroscientist has developed unique brain-imaging software that is helping a London, Ont., law firm strengthen the case for better support for clients with concussions. Andrea Soddu, who is a professor of particle physics, researcher at Western's multidisciplinary Brain & Mind Institute and  principal investigator at the Western Institute of Neuroscience, has built a data tool that provides detailed information from brain scans - something that can help neurologists and radiologists know objectively whether, and in what ways, a patient's neural networks differ from those of "normal," non-injured patients. The software, called GraphICA, can help medically detect, locate and quantify damage by comparing the concussed brain's function, structure and circuitry with those of healthy brains. "We're using state-of-the-art scanning research facilities and our new software to generate reports that will show abnormalities that a neurologist and radiologist can interpret to confirm a diagnosis," said Soddu. This represents a radical shift from the way the legal community deals with moderate brain injury now, said Christopher Collins, LLB'91, a personal injury lawyer with Siskinds The Law Firm , which has signed a contract for services with Soddu's company, Brainet.