WASHINGTON, DC -- Military service exposes soldiers to a unique set of physical challenges, including toxic chemicals and traumatic brain injury, which can have profound effects on their health and well-being. New research examines the effects of military-related brain disorders and possible paths toward treatment, as well as a potential way to harness our brain's learning capabilities to better train pilots. The studies were presented today at Neuroscience 2017, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
More than 21 million Americans are military veterans, and a growing number of them are grappling with the lifelong physical and cognitive effects of brain injuries. Neuroscientists are continuing to improve our understanding of these stressors on soldiers' health, with the goal of improving life for veterans to the greatest extent possible.
Today's new findings show that:
Other recently published research shows that:
"Our soldiers have already given so much only to then face especially challenging lives after leaving the battlefield," said Colonel Deborah Whitmer, DVM, PhD, of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. "These studies improve our understanding of risks to brain function because of unique combat hazards as well as offer hope for potential treatments and enhancement of adaptation and learning."
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This research was supported by national funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, as well as other public, private, and philanthropic organizations worldwide. Find out more about brain issues affecting military service members on BrainFacts.org .
The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is an organization of nearly 37,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and nervous system.