A leading brain surgeon has begun discussions with the NRL about using small impact sensors stuck behind a player's ear to curb the confusion around the long-term impact of concussion on elite rugby league players.

Dr Richard Parkinson, who is preparing a second paper on the effects of head injuries in the sport, has been in dialogue with the NRL about how they can use the miniature devices attached to an athlete's head to better understand the effect high-force collisions can have on long-term health.

The sensors, widely referred to as accelerometers, are likely to be trialled in batting helmets by Cricket Australia and there are serious discussions about trying them in elite level rugby league. Their use is not foreign to Australian football codes with Randwick first trialling them in rugby union's Shute Shield competition last year.

Research is also under way to determine if a specially made mouthguard can help detect when a player is enduring symptoms of concussion given humans are thought to produce specific chemicals in saliva when suffering a head knock. There are no definitive findings yet.