Posted on May 28, 2015
Should Service Members have baseline brain scans prior to deployment or upon entering service?
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Should the Services or Medical Community at large consider baseline brain scans for Service Members prior to deployment or upon entering service? Professional and amateur sports teams and clubs are considering it . I personally experienced two minor sports related concussions prior to my service and two more while serving, one in Korea and one on my first tour to Iraq. Thankfully I did not experience any lingering trauma as determined by post deployment brain scans. What do you think? All opinions welcome.
Posted in these groups: 
TBIConcussions
TBIConcussions
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 10
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Gavin , they have that computer based test pre and post deployment to look for TBI. The predeployment is a baseline. They also maintain your results from previous deployments.
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LTC Gavin Heater
I wonder how this is working? I recall a PTSD questionnaire, but I am not sure how that is working either. I guess that some baseline is better than no baseline.
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LTC Jason Mackay
Forgot the name...ANAM. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_Neuropsychological_Assessment_Metrics
Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM), is a library of computer-based assessments of cognitive domains including attention, concentration, reaction time, memory, processing speed, and decision-making. ANAM has been administered nearly two million times in a variety of applications and settings. ANAM provides clinicians and researchers with tests to evaluate changes in an individual’s cognitive status over time.
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Seems like a reasonable precaution to take, although there'd likely be concerns about cost since MRIs aren't cheap.
Maybe a compromise solution where it is a pre-deployment requirement would work.
Maybe a compromise solution where it is a pre-deployment requirement would work.
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LTC Gavin Heater
Perhaps there at other exams that include questionnaires and an interviews that could pre-screen, and then determine who really needs the scan. Cheaper than a lifetime of care if a candidate is determined vulnerable to permanent damage if they have another concussion. Studies of boxers and football players now prove that trauma was cumulative and known.
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Before and after and add a Nero physic test to it that adds the base line of where they stand also a definition needs to be establish one hospital says test for brain injury this way another says test this way when I showed up at the VA they wanted to run two or three different test with different results depending on who was reading the results and that persons "agenda" one difenAtive test needs to be establish and made the rule of law and get the "agendas" out of the mix
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I got them at the mob site when heading over, and then upon returning to see the differences....as did everyone I deployed with.
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LTC Gavin Heater
What year was that and which Mob Sta? I recall questionnaires at Joint Base Lewis McChord in 2008, but no scans. Nothing like this out of Fort Drum in 2004.
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Sounds like a good idea, but not certain of the cumulative effects of increasing radiation from Xrays, MRIs, Cat Scans, etc.
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LTC Gavin Heater
I know that is a compelling argument. I think the technology would need to change. Maybe TSA body scanners could be modified (or not).
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I don't think the exact science is there yet to make conclusive decisions but it wouldn't be a bad thing to start especially among our crown and perhaps the NFL and NHL - the more contact oriented professional sports. It can only make things better and provide the necessary data to make the science conclusive. Who knows, this could also provide some insight into the origins of PTSD and its long term effects.
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LTC Gavin Heater
Very astute reply. Imagine there is already ongoing research. Think this deserves more attention in Veteran care than it presently gets.
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MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca
LTC Gavin Heater Thanks sir. Absolutely sir. TBI has been THE hot topic issue for the past decade. Look at the progress made with soldiers surviving wounds that decades ago would have killed them. If we're going to keep putting people in harms way, they deserve the best possible equipment to protect them and the best possible treatment on the flip side. You know as well as I that these types of advances only come about through research.
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Absolutely! It can only assist them when looking at treatment and potential disability claims in the future. It's only going to get more difficult to get claims approved, so this should help!
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SSG (Join to see)
I got them at the mob site when heading over, and then upon returning to see the differences.,...as did everyone I deployed with.
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I think there's a lot of risk in the idea. I don't think we're anywhere near good enough at interpreting changes from one scan to the next to be relying on them for MRB and disability purposes.
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I watched a TED talk where the gentleman was speaking about brain scans. I think the military would be a perfect fit for something like this. If the government can use to scans to develop programs to cure the brain damage then this would be really effective in improving the mental welfare of our veterans. The problem is that the government would use the brain scans as a way to discharge our servicemembers.
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