Impact of repeated blast exposure on active-duty United States Special Operations Forces.

ABSTRACT: United States (US) Special Operations Forces (SOF) are frequently exposed to explosive blasts in training and combat, but the effects of repeated blast exposure (RBE) on SOF brain health are incompletely understood. Furthermore, there is no diagnostic test to detect brain injury from RBE. As a result, SOF personnel may experience cognitive, physical, and psychological symptoms for which the cause is never identified, and they may return to training or combat during a period of brain vulnerability. In 30 active-duty US SOF, we assessed the relationship between cumulative blast exposure and cognitive performance, psychological health, physical symptoms, blood proteomics, and neuroimaging measures (Connectome structural and diffusion MRI, 7 Tesla functional MRI, [¹¹C]PBR28 transloc

SUBMITTER: Gilmore N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11087753 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature