The Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia www.fbch.capmed.mil was selected to participate in the “Chronic Effects of Neuro-Trauma Consortium” (CENC) study to determine what happens to service members and veterans who suffer mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions.
This study part of a White House initiative highlighting “Invisible Wounds of War” is a joint venture between DOD www.defense.gov and Veterans Affairs www.va.gov. Fort Belvoir is the only military site in the nation selected to participate.
Injuries to be studied include both combat injuries such as those resulting from blasts and bullets and civilian injuries such as injuries from car accidents, sports injuries, and falls. The study’s goal is to be able to understand the long term consequences for service members and veterans in a systematic and comprehensive way.
“This project is designed to help develop an understanding of the linkage between concussion and blast exposures and the chronic effects resulting in service members and veterans with combat-related TBI exposure”, said Dr. Maulik Purohit, Chief of Research Neuro-Rehabilitation and Traumatic Brain Injury at the Intrepid Spirit One at Fort Belvoir, a part of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) Satellite Centers.
The study will measure many aspects of a person’s condition to include cognitive testing, psychosocial scales, advanced MRI, and EEG. The patients will be contacted at specified time points for 15 years.
Some of the research will also focus on which patients are more likely to have problems after a brain injury, how injured patients can be better treated and cared for, and what injured parties and their families can expect over the lifetime of the service member or veteran.