Scientists: TBI from war worse than thought

[unhappycamper]

Scientists: TBI from war worse than thought
By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Monday Sep 24, 2007 11:51:12 EDT

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, said 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, said Ibolja Cernak, a scientist with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

This cellular death leads to symptoms that may not surface for months or years, Cernak said. The symptoms can include memory deficit, headaches, vertigo, anxiety and apathy or lethargy.

“These soldiers could have hidden injuries with long-term consequences,” he said.

Physicians and scientists are calling TBI the “signature wound” of the Iraq war because of its increasing prevalence among troops.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/09/gns_braininjuries_070924/

[bananas]

1. "even when there are no outward signs of injury from the blast, cells deep within the brain can be a

"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"
dim-mak http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_Mak