MYndspan, a brain imaging service that uses brain connectivity to measure and assess brain health, announces its commercial launch at Aston University’s Institute of Health & Neurodevelopment.
Founded in 2020 by Caitlin Baltzer, ex- VP of operations at functional brain imaging company Croton Healthcare, and Janne Huhtala previously CEO of MEGIN, MYndspan was created to support brain health across populations – using brain scanning technology to monitor and extend healthy cognitive lifespans.
The brain imaging service – powered by a non-invasive brain scanning technology called Magnetoencephalography (MEG) – measures the electrical signals between neurons to form a highly detailed map of brain activity and function. MEG identifies and observes functional ‘invisible injuries’ to the brain, such as concussion or PTSD, that can’t be seen from an MRI image of the brain.
MYndspan’s service combines MEG scans with gamified tests of cognitive function, which measure a range of mental processes such as attention, memory, and visuospatial processing. Using these two measures of brain health – cognitive function and brain function – MYndspan provides a comprehensive overview, detailed in a thorough, easy-to-understand report, of how a person’s brain is behaving, and why.
MYndspan kicked off their service at Aston University with their first customers:
- Neuroscientist and author Dr. Dean Burnett, who is using MYndspan to monitor the effect increasing physical activity has on his brain health, over time
- Vicky Macqueen, former England Rugby player and CEO of didi rugby, who is using the service to measure her pre-concussion baseline for playing contact sports safely.
MYndspan’s first application is concussion, where its technology can support the recovery of the estimated 3.8 million athletes that experience sports-related concussion annually. The company provides athletes with a pre-season measure of brain health which is used as a baseline to compare against after a concussion, in post-incident rehabilitation. This data - collected non-invasively - helps athletes track their recovery and return to play at the optimum time, limiting further damage to their brain, and their career.
After successful pilots at SickKids Hospital, Toronto and The University of Helsinki, MYndspan’s service will be available to the general public for the first time at Aston University Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment (IHN), an international leader in advanced technology to explore brains, development and healthy behaviours. MYndspan’s scans will equip people with knowledge of their brain health, supporting disease prevention and neurological research into biomarkers of disease.
MYndspan co-founder Caitlin Baltzer said: “The brain is hugely complex and exciting, and whilst there is a vast body of research and knowledge already available, there is still so much for us to learn about how it functions and changes over time. In a world where we can track and optimise every part of our health, and our lives, the brain remains neglected. At MYndspan, we believe that every person has the right to better brain health, and think athletes deserve to have objective information about where they are in their recovery, to make the best and most informed decisions.”
Dr. Dean Burnett, neuroscientist and author, added: “I'm a big proponent of anything that helps people understand their brains better, and MYndspan's new high-tech but easily accessible approach looks to be extremely useful in that regard. My own physical and mental health and fitness took a big hit during lockdown, and I turn 40 this year, so for the first time in my life I'm working hard to fix that. But as a scientist, I'm very keen on gathering data and tracking it, to show my progress. MYndspan offers the perfect opportunity to assess how my brain is doing too, which is ideal for me.”
