The NHL Alumni Association has signed a multi-year partnership with brain health company Highmark Interactive. The partnership will provide Highmark’s brain assessment mobile app to former NHL players and youth athletes.
More than 3,800 former NHL players are members of the NHLAA. Highmark Interactive’s EQ Brain Performance platform can be accessed via tablet or mobile device from any location. The platform features seven games that test a user’s balance, cognitive function and visual function.
In becoming the official neurological assessment tool of the NHLAA, Highmark will donate its EQ Brain Performance platform to select schools in the U.S. and Canada. Data collected by the company’s mobile gaming platform can be transmitted in-app to medical professionals who can then assess a user for a possible concussion or other neurological issues. “With EQ, you play a few quick games and critical data on brain function is instantly available. From concussion to other brain health issues, having EQ on your phone to help monitor brain performance is invaluable,” Glenn Healy, executive director of the NHLAA, said in a press release.
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As many as 15 former NHL players will have their digital avatars embedded into Highmark’s brain assessment video games. Virtual versions of former NHL stars such as Patrick Roy, Wayne Gretzky, and Martin Brodeur will cheer on users while they play the games. The FDA recently approved Highmark’s EQ Brain Performance platform as a Class II Medical Device. “Our FDA-cleared tests produce data that medical professionals are excited to have, as it provides a better understanding of brain function, thus facilitating a diagnosis and treatment plan for neurological issues that range from concussion, to impairment, to cognitive issues we face in our later years,” said Sanjeev Sharma, CEO and co-founder of Highmark Interactive.
Researchers recently found evidence of CTE in the brain of NHL Hall of Famer Stan Mikita, who died at the age of 78 in 2018. SportTechie’s Jen Booton recently investigated the impact that concussions can have on an athlete’s mental health as part of her three-part series about mental health awareness in sports.
