The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Dec 28, 2007 11:15:47 EST
AUSTIN — Doctors will begin studying brain injuries among U.S. troops through a new $4.2 million Department of Veterans Affairs program at the University of Texas.
Some estimate that more than 20,000 troops have suffered from brain injuries in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where roadside bomb blasts can jar the brains of nearby soldiers. The damage varies in severity, and the injuries can create a broad range of symptoms, some that manifest months later and can be confused with other conditions.
"It’s a virtually unexplored area," said Michael Domjan, director of the Imaging Research Center, which UT opened in January 2006 before talks with the VA had begun. "We’ve got a powerful research tool we’re pleased to see used to address a serious medical problem, one that is not limited to just veterans."
The program will use UT’s new $2.2 million state-of-the-art brain scanner at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus, among the most sophisticated brain-imaging devices in the world. Dr. Robert Van Boven, the VA program director, said it is the first to combine the three types of brain scans the machine can perform.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_brainstudy_071228/
