A personal, private decision by the families of eight Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans may have contributed to a significant discovery in the understanding of brain trauma caused by exposure to bomb blasts.
The brains of eight veterans, all exposed to blasts from high explosives in combat, have been found to have microscopic scarring in the star-shaped cells that line the junctions between their gray and white matter, change patterns previously undetected by medical imaging such as CT or MRI scans.
Most significant, researchers for the study, published June 9 in the scientific journal Lancet Neurology, found that the brains of three veterans who died just days after blast exposure showed signs of trying to repair themselves from this microscopic damage.
The findings are the first physical evidence of brain injury resulting from exposure to high explosives, damage that has been called an “invisible wound,” since it does not show up on any tests or scans.
Researchers with the Defense Department’s Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine say the results could account for the physical and behavioral changes seen in some troops after they return from war.
Read More- Military Times
Image courtesy of Staff Sgt. Brian Kimball, Defense Media Activity
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Please God this finding helps enormously in the treatment of those who suffer from blast-related brain injury.
This seems like a significant finding. The eight veterans who made the decision to donate their brain to science for study upon their death have made a wonderful contribution to their fellow brothers and sisters in the service. While more research is needed, it seems as if this could be a glimmer of hope for all those who suffer from blasted related brain injuries. According to the article, the post-mortem analysis showed a brownish dust- scarring along the brain's gray matter and elsewhere. The brain suffered damage from the blast at the interface of the brain's structural boundaries. The reaction of the brain to that damage was scar tissue. It is interesting and very sad at the same time, that the one veteran who committed suicide had just had a just had a MRI that showed no brain injury. I can only imagine his loss of hope at that news with no explanation of the memory and cognitive struggles he was facing. It obviously points to the fact that our brain imaging does not pick up on this scar tissue that has developed. I know it is a very personal decision to make, but I hope more veterans will consider this type of donation to science to help with these studies. The brain is a very complex organ and we know so little about it. I pray one day we will find solutions that can help prevent and treat those with brain injuries.