Soldiers training on heavy artillery and athletes in contact sports are routinely exposed to repetitive mild shockwaves and injuries. Unlike someone who has just dodged a missile explosion or been smacked by a linebacker, they may feel little immediate impact. The cumulative effects of these low-level blasts can, however, cause neurological problems such as sleep disorders and attention deficits, noted Bryan Pfister, director of New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Center for Injury Biomechanics, Materials and Medicine.
He explained, “If you have a mild hit, the first hit, does that exposure put your brain in a vulnerable state, even if there is no detectable injury? Research on animals shows us that a mild shock wave doesn’t do much, but if the subject is hit again, then yes, we see neuroinflammation and measurable behavioral changes. With repetitive injuries, deficits developover time.”
Center researchers began studying these injuries five years ago to explore their impact on service members. Their goal is to understand the precise mechanisms driving persistent and chronic changes, which can then become targets for treatment. In one approach, they’re focusing on damage to the blood-brain barrier, a tightly packed layer of capillaries around the brain that are the central nervous system’s first line of defense. Under normal conditions, they admit only the tiniest molecules, repelling pathogens and most foreign substances. To read the full story.