Scientists: Brain injuries from war worse than thought
USA Today reports that blast injuries are producing more damage than previously realized. The war in Iraq will be no different in producing a "signature wound" only this time the wound is in the brains of those affected. Medical experts are witnessing an emerging and significant increase in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
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.
Blast injuries are getting the attention of the war as a laboratory. And now that attention is revealing what is already known from other familiar mechanisms of injury: brain injury occurs at the cellular level.
The North American Brain Injury Society formed a committee to examine blast injuries. Dr. Mariusz Ziejewski, biomechanical engineer, is heading that effort. For more information go to http://www.nabis.org/public/message.shtml
