Bucking the traditional wisdom once more, the link between traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress may be closer than once thought: The study suggests that traumatic brain injuries may be the cause of post-traumatic stress.
Dr. Jim Kelly, a Senior Fellow in Veteran Wellness to the Bush Institute, along with a host of other renowned doctors and scientists, released some head-turning findings last week on veteran post-traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
In an effort to address these invisible wounds of war more effectively, the study sought to compare traditional blast wounds to impact-induced wounds, or concussions. For a long time, the prevailing wisdom has aligned the two types of two wounds. Specifically, to determine if a warrior has sustained a traumatic brain injury, doctors would look for symptoms similar to those of someone who has suffered a concussion during a game of football.
However, after studying the brains of post-mortem veterans who suffered from both traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress, the team of scientists discovered an obvious trend of scarring present in the brain matter. These scars were not found in those who suffered from traditional concussions or impact-induced wounds.
Bucking the traditional wisdom once more, the link between traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress may be closer than once thought: The study suggests that traumatic brain injuries may be the cause of post-traumatic stress.
You can find the study here. Find two New York Times pieces that drill down into study findings here and here.
