Traumatic brain injury has afflicted more than 400,000 service members who served during the Global War on Terror, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. However, gaining a better understanding of TBI, and how to treat it, has been an uphill battle for the Department of Defense.
Now a new study by military researchers at the Defense Health Agency’s Hearing Center of Excellence hopes to offer new insights into TBI and how many soldiers suffer from it by specifically examining "mild" traumatic brain injuries known at mTBI.
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"The objective of the research was to collect data to advance our understanding of oculomotor, vestibular and reaction time responses in relation to mTBI," said Dr. Carlos Esquivel.
Service members receive an mTBI injury from non-blast related events, like an impact or jolt to the head, commonly known as a concussion. Researchers are finding that service members who have an mTBI are more likely to suffer from sleeplessness, headaches, dizziness, and cognitive dysfunction.
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So far the study has had 95 participants and there are plans plans to expand it to Fort Benning, Camp Lejeune and Quantico. Traumatic Brain Injury has been linked to an increasing in the likelihood of suicidal ideation.
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