A study co-authored by a University of Rochester Medical Center professor says there's a single region of the brain that can be looked at to determine the impact of a concussion .
The finding was published in Science Advances. It's based on data collected from 38 U of R football players over three seasons. It found that no matter where a player was hit, the force was transmitted to the midbrain. Co-Author Jeffrey Bazarian says that means imaging of the midbrain might let doctors diagnose injury from a concussive head hit, as well as repeated blows that are believed to cause long-term brain injury.
Another of the researchers says the health of the midbrain is like a "canary in a coal mine" in terms of identifying damage from such injuries.