Scientists: Brain injuries from war worse than thought

By Ali Kadim, AP
"Signature wound" of Iraq: Symptoms of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, include memory deficit, headaches, vertigo, anxiety and apathy or lethargy. They can be brought on by explosions such as this one that destroyed a Humvee on the outskirts of Baghdad in June.

By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
Scientists trying to understand traumatic brain injury from bomb blasts are finding the wound more insidious than they once thought.
They find that even when there are no outward signs of injury from the blast, cells deep within the brain can be altered, their metabolism changed, causing them to die, says Geoff Ling, an advance-research scientist with the Pentagon.
The new findings are the result of blast experiments in recent years on animals, followed by microscopic examination of brain tissue. The findings could mean that the number of brain-injured soldiers and Marines — many of whom appear unhurt after exposure to a blast — may be far greater than reported, says Ibolja Cernak, a scientist with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
TROOPS AT RISK: USA TODAY'S full coverage on IEDs in Iraq
This cellular death leads to symptoms that may not surface for months or years, Cernak says. The symptoms can include memory deficit, headaches, vertigo, anxiety and apathy or lethargy. "These soldiers could have hidden injuries with long-term consequences," he says.

LinkHere