Uncovering the Effects of Repeated Blast Exposure in Military Personnel
In This Video
- Even low-level blasts, like those experienced during military training, can cause changes in the brain that aren’t immediately obvious
- Many military personnel say they feel worse or have a lower quality of life after repeated exposure to low-level blasts, even when regular brain scans and blood tests don't show anything unusual
- A study by a team of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found that the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, a part of the brain involved in thinking and emotion, showed the biggest changes in people exposed to these blasts
- The study could help doctors create better tools to detect and track brain changes from repeated blast exposure—before more serious problems arise
Members of the military are often exposed to repeated low-level blasts during both training and combat. Many report persistent symptoms including fatigue, memory issues, mood changes and decreased quality of life. Unfortunately, when they undergo standard MRI and neurological exams, the exams do not show any abnormalities in the brain that could explain the symptoms.
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Seeking to improve care for this high-risk population, a team of researchers led by Brian Edlow, MD, a physician-researcher at Mass General Brigham and associate director of the Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery (CNTR), studied the long-term effects of repeated blast exposure in 30 active-duty U.S. Special Operations Forces personnel using advanced imaging tools, blood biomarkers and cognitive assessments. In this video, physician-researcher Susie Huang, MD, PhD, the associate director of the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the research and its significance. Dr. Huang led the imaging portion of the study.