(StarTribune) – Hennepin County Medical Center and the University of Minnesota are launching what’s billed as the nation’s largest study of concussions and traumatic brain injuries, combining discoveries in brain imaging, blood analysis and eye tests to find a more accurate way to detect the injuries’ severity and long-term ramifications.

The two Minnesota institutions are joining with Chicago-based Abbott, a pharmaceutical and device manufacturer, which has studied whether "biomarkers" in blood show up after people suffer head injuries. CONTINUE