NFL Charities awarded the University of Minnesota a $100,000 medical research grant Tuesday, with two-thirds of the funds focused on investigating the effects of concussions. The university was one of 15 organizations awarded an NFL grant.
Dr. Donald Dengel, associate professor of kinesiology, will be leading the research team. He was interviewed by KARE 11 and the St. Paul Pioneer Press to discuss the recent financial contribution.
“The University always has a positive reaction to grants, but the NFL grant has a little mystique to it, ” Dengel said.
Dengel explained that the study will focus on MRI techniques used to detect concussions to get a better understanding about how people’s brains are affected by concussions. According to Dengel, currently an MRI works like a camera; his team want to make it work like a video camera to study blood vessels in the brain.
“We’ve spent three years researching our technique, and it’s exciting that they have the same philosophy and think our ideas could work,” Dengel said.
Learn more about this exciting study here.