NKI's eye-tracking I-Portal research to be showcased at 2011 Brain Injury Awareness Day

Neuro Kinetics, Inc. (NKI) (www.neuro-kinetics.com), manufacturers of noninvasive medical diagnostic equipment used worldwide for neurophysiologic/neurotologic testing, said today that it will showcase its eye-tracking I-Portal® technology and the company's collaborative push with the military to develop earlier diagnosis of combat injuries, at the upcoming 2011 Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

The March 16th event is being organized by the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, a nonpartisan effort of more than 110 Congressional members to raise awareness of brain injuries afflicting millions of Americans -- including soldiers, athletes and accident victims.

"Clearly, there is great urgency to find more accurate ways to diagnose brain injuries and we support efforts to generate interest among our lawmakers," said J. Howison Schroeder, NKI president and CEO. "The data suggests our I-Portal technology is opening a new door to accurate and timely diagnosis of brain injuries. Research with the military and others shows great promise and we are eager to detail the work to members of Congress and their staffs."

NKI currently is involved in collaborative research projects at a number of U.S. military medical facilities to develop and verify a new battery of eye-tracking neurotologic/neurophysiologic tests for earlier and more accurate diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and mild TBI.

An estimated 20 percent of soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from TBI or mTBI resulting from bomb blasts.

NKI's research includes collaboration with specialists at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and other military facilities, including Tripler Army Medical Center (Hawaii), The Traumatic Brain Injury Warrior Resilience and Recovery Center at Fort Campbell (Kentucky) and Walter Reed Army Medical Center (D.C.).

NKI also is involved in a research effort with a large hospital in Western Pennsylvania to gather data from high school and college athletes, part of an effort to improve diagnosis and treatment of sports concussions.

"The eye is the portal to the brain," Schroeder said. "We believe that we are on the verge of a new era in diagnostic testing for a wider range of medical challenges, including new and better ways to diagnose brain injuries."