Molecular and behavioral measures of blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)
Abstract
Molecular and behavioral measures of blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)Existing data suggest repeated blast exposure increases predisposition to TBI resulting from a future event. To prevent cumulative injury from multiple exposures to blast overpressure, personnel exposed to one injurious blast event must be removed from further operations untilinjury is ruled out or recovered. The guidelines for removal must be based on empirically derivedanimal injury curves that are calibrated for human physiology and validated using previous casesof recorded blast exposure. To establish physiologically relevant injury thresholds, the Low Level Repeated Blast (LLRB) project tested the effects of single and multiple blast exposures on age- and weight-matched Yucatan minipigs. That study provided empirical proof that exposure to blast overpressure alone is sufficient to cause damage to the communication systems of thecentral nervous system, but it has not provided the threshold of that injury.Here, Applied Research Associates (ARA) proposes to close the large gap in the outcome measures of the LLRB effort by using the existing samples and videos to analyze the cellular and molecular changes and tease out behavioral decrements that could inform the threshold for functional impairment. In doing so, we will hone and validate behavioral testing methods thatcan be applied in other research studies and used as a common metric between all porcine studies of mTBI. Once translated and validated against human injury data, these studies will inform blast exposure thresholds that will inform the first clinically and operationally relevant stand-down guidelines, which will enable an informed ~commander~s decision~ and appropriate medical treatment without compromising operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 23, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141612955
Entities
People
- Laila Zai
Organizations
- Applied Research Associates (United States)
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy