In a multimodal study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Natalie Gilmore et al. found that higher cumulative blast exposure was associated with decreased brain function and lower quality of life. According to a New York Times article, the damage seen in these brains was not CTE but a new pathology.

Veterans exposed to blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury (blast mTBI) may experience impaired function of the glymphatic system, according to a recent study published in Brain.

On February 28, the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel held a hearing about traumatic brain injury from repeated blast exposure for U.S. service members. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Chairwoman of the subpanel, led the two-hour hearing in which senators questioned experts. Senator Warren said, “We need to do better for our troops, and we need to do it right now.”

In a recent New York Times report, Dave Phillips brought attention to abundant evidence indicating that brain injuries and “serious and lasting harm” in veterans are related to their exposure to repetitive blasts from weapons used in training.

The Tampa, Florida VA association’s Post-Deployment Rehabilitation and Evaluation Program (PREP) “is an inpatient rehabilitation program that specializes in the evaluation and treatment of complex reactions and symptoms associated with possible mild TBI.” The program appears to be one of the more comprehensive multidisciplinary care programs.

According to the Veterans Association (VA), 11.9% of veterans use marijuana, often to self-medicate for illnesses like PTSD. Yet the VA will not expand its cannabis research and "continues to deny cannabis recommendations to veterans in 36 states that allow medical marijuana," according to an article in Politico.

The Sleepless Warriors At-Home study is recruiting veterans age 21+ who have served in the military for at least 180 days, have trouble sleeping, and have a concussion history.

An article published by Stanford Medicine reports that female veterans endure a more challenging recovery after sustaining a TBI than males. Cortical thinning in male and female brains after TBI may be associated with the exhibition of unexpected behavioral trends within the female population.

U.S. Navy researcher David Jesse Daily has created a prototype helmet with “increased protective capability.” As reported by TechLink, this helmet uses cavitating bubbles, which are “the formation of vapor pockets in a fluid,” to act as a shock absorber.

This new helmet design transfers the energy created on impact into the cavitation bubbles to help cushion the brain.