title: A case of frontal neuropsychological and neuroimaging signs following multiple primary-blast exposure.
abstract: Blast-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars represents a significant medical concern for troops and veterans. To better understand the consequences of primary-blast injury in humans, we present a case of a Marine exposed to multiple primary blasts during his 14-year military career. The neuropsychological profile of this formerly high-functioning veteran suggested primarily executive dysfunction. Diffusion-tensor imaging revealed white-matter pathology in long fiber tracks compared with a composite fractional-anisotropy template derived from a veteran reference control group without TBI. This study supports the existence of primary blast-induced neurotrauma in humans and introduces a neuroimaging technique with potential to discriminate multiple-blast TBI.
authors: National Center for PTSD-116B-2, VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 S. Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130, USA. jphayes@bu.edu
authors: Jasmeet Pannu
authors: JP
authors: Hayes
authors: Rajendra A
authors: RA
authors: Morey
authors: Larry A
authors: LA
authors: Tupler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000150:complications; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests