A Neurobehavioral Phenotype of Blast Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Stress in Male and Female Rats

Abstract

Current wars are taking physical and psychological tolls on American service members. Many Warriors return with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and mental health problems. Psychological stress that Warriors experience might contribute to the TBI-mental health problem relationship. This experiment examined blast injury and psychological stress in male and female rats. A blast over pressure paradigm (BOP) was used to model blast exposure. A combination of predator and environmental stressors was used to stress the rats. A measure of neurobehavioral functioning (NSS-R) and measures of activity were collected. The blast exposure via the BOP model increased NSS-R scores in blasted animals. Psychological stress attenuated negative effects of blast-induced injury on neurobehavioral function in male rats, but potentiated negative neurobehavioral effects of blast-induced injury in female rats. Future research could use the BOP model to investigate mechanisms that underlie these neurobehavioral effects and potential preventive and treatment interventions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 03, 2012
Accession Number
AD1013295

Entities

People

  • Angela M. Yarnell

Organizations

  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Brain
  • Brain Injuries
  • Depression
  • Health Services
  • Human Behavior
  • Medical Personnel
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Auditory Neuroscience/Auditory Physiology.
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Cognitive Aging in the Guam and Border Populations Affected by Alzheimer's Disease and Tau-Associated Dementias.