Contact:
Pamela McDonnell
Media Relations
NYU Medical Center
(212) 404-3555
Email: Pamela.Mcdonnell@nyumc.org

NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE BRAIN INJURY EXPERT AVAILABLE TO COMMENT ON BLAST CONCUSSIONS SUFFERED BY TROOPS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

NEW YORK, NY – August 7, 2007 – E. Roy John, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Brain Research Laboratories (BRL) at NYU School of Medicine is available to discuss blast concussions--one of the most common brain injuries among troops in Iraq and Afghanistan--in conjunction with tomorrow's Department of Defense/Veteran Affairs meeting on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of traumatic brain injuries in Washington, D.C (1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 8, and 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 9).

"It's outrageous that the military has not provided significant funding to study this kind of traumatic brain injury," says Dr. John, who says an estimated 125,000 troops in Iraq have experienced blast concussions and one out of three homeless people are veterans with TBI . “We are used to brain injuries that are the result of abrupt deceleration, as in a car accident," he says. "But due to powerful explosions in Iraq and Afghanistan, we're seeing these effects of blasts, as well as injuries from flying objects and the formation of gaseous embolisms--bubbles in the brain--similar to those experienced by divers under extreme pressure.  In order to understand these kinds of injuries and the kind of rehabilitation they require, we need to study people with acute injuries, as well as those with chronic injuries to see how these injuries evolve, paired with neuron-cognitive tests to see the effects on behavior. 

A high percentage of blast concussions do not show up on MRIs or CT Scans, but their effect can be seen in  EEG tracings — recordings of the brain’s electrical activity on an electroencephalograph — that can be used to  assess cognitive functions."  According to Dr. John, though many veterans suffering from blast concussions will be able to function, many will suffer from memory and attention deficits, PTSD and depression, and will need support and rehabilitation.

Dr. John can show EEG tracings showing brain damage from blast concussions.

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