Mechanisms of traumatic brain injury identified

Scientists have identified the cellular mechanisms of traumatic brain injuries, a move which could transform the treatment of soldiers.

Unlike the brain injuries typically suffered by civilians, traumatic brain injury is often the result of a sudden jarring force, such as an explosion, rather than a direct blow to the head.

Published in the journals Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and PLoS One, this could make changes to treatment for injured servicemen.

"So many young men and women are returning from military service with brain injuries, and we just don't know how to help them," said principal investigator Kevin Kit Parker, a Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a major in the US Army.

Scientists have revealed that integrins, the receptor proteins, provide the link between external force and internal changes, following a blast it causes the neuron to detract its axons, breaking essential connections.

"We have established a toe-hold as we try to climb up on top of this problem," said Parker. "In many ways, this work is just the beginning."