Can We Measure Concussion Recovery? Brain Vital Signs, NeuroCatch & Neuroplasticity with Dr. Ryan D'Arcy | E76
About This Episode
What if we could objectively measure how the brain is functioning after a concussion—in just six minutes? Concussion and post-concussion syndrome can affect attention, cognitive processing, reaction time, and brain function even when conventional imaging does not provide the answers patients are looking for. In this episode of Life After Impact: The Concussion Recovery Podcast, Dr. Ayla Wolf talks with neuroscientist Dr. Ryan D’Arcy, co-founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer of HealthTech Connex and a pioneer of brain vital signs and NeuroCatch, an EEG-based technology designed to objectively measure cognitive brain function. They explore how NeuroCatch measures the brain's response to auditory information, what the N100, P300, and N400 can reveal about sensory processing, attention, and cognition, and how researchers are using these measurements to study concussion, traumatic brain injury, subconcussive impacts, neuroplasticity, and brain recovery.
Dr. D’Arcy explains why he began asking a deceptively simple question: We routinely measure vital signs for the heart and body—so why don't we have a vital sign for the brain?
That question ultimately helped lead to NeuroCatch, a portable system that condenses technology once largely confined to neuroscience laboratories into an assessment that takes just over six minutes. Rather than asking someone how their cognition feels, the system measures electrical responses generated as the brain processes sounds and language.
The conversation takes an especially fascinating turn when Dr. D’Arcy describes what researchers have observed immediately after concussion. In the first 24 hours, the brain may actually recruit more cortical activity while processing information more slowly—a physiological pattern that changes as the brain moves through recovery.
They also explore emerging research into subconcussive impacts in football, hockey, MMA, rugby, and other contact sports. NeuroCatch measurements have detected changes in cognitive processing associated with accumulated impact exposure—even in athletes who were not diagnosed with a concussion. Dr. D’Arcy also shares preliminary findings from ongoing research examining what happens when athletes are given time away from repetitive impacts and whether objective measures of brain function return toward baseline.
But this episode isn't only about detecting injury.
It's also about neuroplasticity and possibility.
Dr. D’Arcy describes neuroplasticity as the brain's innate ability to rewire itself—and explains why those changes can sometimes become maladaptive after concussion. Recovery may therefore involve more than simply restoring a neurological function. It may require deliberately creating new pathways that help the brain translate its recovered capacity back into everyday life.
You'll also hear about the remarkable case of a soldier who sustained an extraordinary penetrating brain injury and continued making functional gains 20 years later—a powerful reminder that the brain's capacity for change does not necessarily disappear simply because an injury is considered chronic.
The conversation also explores how brain vital signs are moving beyond concussion assessment into treatment monitoring and human performance optimization. Professional athletes, military populations, clinicians, and researchers are beginning to ask not only whether brain function is impaired—but whether cognitive processing can be measured, trained, and optimized.
If we can measure how the brain is functioning, can we make better decisions about recovery? And if neuroplasticity remains possible years after an injury, how much human potential have we been underestimating?
This episode offers a fascinating look at the emerging intersection of concussion science, objective brain testing, neurotechnology, neuroplasticity, sports performance, and the future of brain health.
NeuroCatch: website
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Intagram: @dr.ryandarcy
TikTok: @dr.ryanddarcy