PITTSBURGH -- There have been a number of studies on concussions in teens but understanding these injuries can be a challenge.

But a new tool at the University of Pittsburgh is helping doctors get a better picture.

As the Woodland Hills High School football team prepares for another season, they're hoping for a winning record and to avoid some of the concussions they suffered last year.

A research lab in Ontario, Canada, showed that some of the hard-hitting collisions in football easily result in concussions when the collisions occur up to 20 mph.

High school coaches like George Novak said they do their best to guard against repeat concussions.

"You don't want to get a kid out on the field before he's prepared," Novak said. "They always want to get out there, anxious to get out on the field, but we always hold them back until we get approval from the parents or the doctors."

But many times, that's not enough, which is where the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's concussion prevention program becomes a vital resources for high schools.

Their $3 million, five-year research program has launched a functional MRI.

Normal MRIs only show the anatomy of the brain and visible damage.

The functional MRI shows doctors how well the brain is working during recovery from concussion.

The functional MRI can also pick up information detailing when the patient is no longer experiencing concussion symptoms.

More than 1,300 high schools around the country and in western Pennsylvania have adopted UPMC's concussion prevention program.

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