Capt Seid Waddell 721295 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>"VA scientists have discovered signs of early aging in the brains of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans caught near roadside bomb explosions, even among those who felt nothing from the blast.<br /><br />‘Generally as we age, the connections (in the brain) deteriorate. But with those people with blast exposure it appears as though it's happening faster,’ said Benjamin Trotter, a bio-medical engineer with the Department of Veterans Affairs and lead author of the study.<br /><br />Regina McGlinchey, a Harvard Medical School professor of psychology, VA scientist and study co-author, said the concern is that ‘what we generally see in older people in terms of declines in executive function, memory and planning would be happening at an earlier age.’<br /><br />Equally troubling is the lack of awareness of a blast injury. Many veterans studied said they never felt concussion-like symptoms such as dizziness, headaches or loss of consciousness. Others complained of those symptoms, but eventually saw them go away and military doctors concluded they had fully recovered.<br /><br />Yet in both cases, brain scans years later showed signs of degeneration and early aging."<br /><br />Have you had any experience with this? If so, how has it affected your service?<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/01/veterans-tbi-blast-aging-brain-damage/27971927/">http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/01/veterans-tbi-blast-aging-brain-damage/27971927/</a> 2015-06-04T00:06:32-04:00 Capt Seid Waddell 721295

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>"VA scientists have discovered signs of early aging in the brains of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans caught near roadside bomb explosions, even among those who felt nothing from the blast.<br /><br />‘Generally as we age, the connections (in the brain) deteriorate. But with those people with blast exposure it appears as though it's happening faster,’ said Benjamin Trotter, a bio-medical engineer with the Department of Veterans Affairs and lead author of the study.<br /><br />Regina McGlinchey, a Harvard Medical School professor of psychology, VA scientist and study co-author, said the concern is that ‘what we generally see in older people in terms of declines in executive function, memory and planning would be happening at an earlier age.’<br /><br />Equally troubling is the lack of awareness of a blast injury. Many veterans studied said they never felt concussion-like symptoms such as dizziness, headaches or loss of consciousness. Others complained of those symptoms, but eventually saw them go away and military doctors concluded they had fully recovered.<br /><br />Yet in both cases, brain scans years later showed signs of degeneration and early aging."<br /><br />Have you had any experience with this? If so, how has it affected your service?<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/01/veterans-tbi-blast-aging-brain-damage/27971927/">http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/01/veterans-tbi-blast-aging-brain-damage/27971927/</a>

2015-06-04T00:06:32-04:00 2015-06-04T00:06:32-04:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 721699

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I was near several IED's during my first trip over. I am not sure, but i dont think i am having any of those things going on. But who knows, i will mention it to my Dr next trip, if i remember too.

2015-06-04T04:58:08-04:00 2015-06-04T04:58:08-04:00 Maj Allen Bruce Childress, Jr. 734729

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>After 9 years on active duty as an EOD Officer and then 13 years as a Safety Manager at an ammunition plant where I did all of the demolition and then 13 years working as a UXO Technician finding and blowing up unexploded ordnance, I don't feel that my memory is any worse then other 73 year olds.

2015-06-08T22:55:32-04:00 2015-06-08T22:55:32-04:00 2015-06-04T00:06:32-04:00