UW researchers find long-term brain injuries in soldiers after blast exposure

In today’s Seattle Times Hal Bernton reports that Seattle researchers have found “long-term changes in brain functions of Iraq veterans exposed to blast shock waves.”

Bernton writes that some researchers believe that the brain “quickly heals from mild brain trauma and that lingering symptoms result from other problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder. But this study suggests these veterans suffer significant neurological damage.

“This is evidence of persistent alterations of the brain of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with repetitive blast exposure,” said Elaine Peskind, a Veterans Affairs Puget Health Sound Health System psychiatrist who led a team of 11 VA and University of Washington researchers. “These changes are real and long lasting.”

To learn more:

• Read Bernton’s article: Troops suffer long-term brain impacts from shock waves, Seattle study finds.
• Visit the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.
• Read the ProPublica/NPR investigative series on the military medical systems handling of the diagnosis and treatment of brain injuries in soldiers who served Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tags: Concussion, Military, TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury, Veterans

Category: Brain & Nervous System, Injuries & Wounds, VA Puget Sound