The brain of a deceased Australian veteran was investigated by Australian scientists who found evidence of an unusual pattern of brain stays that are seen in people who were repeatedly exposed to blast waves.
Warning: This story contains details of a suicide and can disturb some readers.
About 450 serves soldiers and veterans have promised their brains to the Australian Veterans Brain Bank after their death, in the hope that there will be microscopic evidence within them in which the invisible damage will be explained by years of service.
Six donor brains have been received, with four now analyzed.
Blast -restprint occurs when a weapon is fired and the explosion creates an invisible high pressure shock wave that travels through the body – including the brain, which damages the delicate brain tissue.
Six donated brains were analyzed at the Australian Veterans Brain Bank. ((ABC News: Shaun Kingma))
Repeated exposure can cause symptoms such as memory loss, aggression, depression and suicidality, but the damage can often not be seen in scans in living patients.
It is only after death when the brain is dissected that the unique pattern of scars known as interface astroglial scars (or IAS) can be seen.
The first Australian donor with that clear pattern of brain bars was a veteran with repeated exposure to explosions “for a long period,” said Michael Buckland, director of the Australian veterans Brain Bank.
The brain scars aligned with findings that are seen abroad.
Michael Buckland is the director of the Australian Veterans Brain Bank. ((ABC News: Ron Foley))
“There is a disturbing association with mental health problems and [symptoms mirroring] Post -traumatic stress disorder with this brain pathology, “said Dr. Buckland.
“Everyone I spoke with in the Neuropathology community understands that there is brain injury associated with explosions that must be performed.”
The Australian finding is important according to the former Australian Army Special Forces Officer and the lawyer of the Veterans Paul Scanlan, who has been campaigning for years to expose the impact of repeated explosions at a low level on Australian soldiers.
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“This is the first Australian validation of the damage that we know it is caused by veterans,”
Said Mr. Scanlan.
“I hope this helps that it is recognized when an injury caused by service, research and financing opens and draws more attention to the plight of veterans here.”
Surprising proof of the US
A group of nine American navy seals that died, all had proof of explosion wounds in their brains. ((Reuters: Mike Blake))
Scientists from the US Department of Defense Brain Bank first discovered the unique pattern of star -shaped scars between the white and gray matter in the brain known in 2016 as IAS.
Last year interviews with dozens of soldiers, veterans and their families, reporter David Philipps coincided in the New York Times what the US Army did not have: a group of elite navy seals that died through suicide all had proof of explosion wave damage in their brains.
“Nine of that brain went to the Brain Lab and all nine had proof of traumatic explosion damage, which is huge,”
Said Mr Philipps.
“Many of the seals that died knew that something went wrong in their heads before they died.”
One of those who died to the end of the extreme to ensure that the message came through. He wrote a suicide letter in which he described his symptoms before killing himself in such a way that he kept his brain, so that it could then be analyzed in an ultramodern laboratory for the Ministry of Defense in Maryland.
Employees are called 24 hours a day on the Australian Veterans Brain Bank, ready to collect donor brains at all times. ((ABC News: Shaun Kingma))
“He turned off a stack of books that he had read about concussion and other types of brain injuries and he hoped that this would be his legacy,” said Mr. Philipps.
The determination to get their brains to the lab in the hours after their death was driven by the widows of the seals that suspected that something was wrong with their husband’s brains, says Mr. Philipps.
“They spoke to each other. They had learned about this study and this brain lab that had just been set up, and they had really taken it to ensure that this brain came there – and also ensure that other widows were aware of this – often in the hours after the death of their husbands,” Mr Philipps said.
Brain tissue samples are analyzed at the Australian Veterans Brain Bank. ((ABC News: Shaun Kingma))
Although all nine brains are analyzed in a laboratory for the Ministry of Defense, the information has never returned to the seal leadership, he said.
“There should be a red blinking light and say” warning, warning, everyone we looked at has a brain injury. “
“But that just didn’t happen.”
“Something needs to be done”
Michael Buckland says that the situation is now generally recognized, “at least within NATO community”. ((ABC News: Timothy Ailwood))
Dr. Buckland of the Australian veterans Brain Bank has traveled to the US to present his findings and meet scientists of the brain bank there.
“At this stage it is a number game. The more brain we can investigate, the more clinical and medical history we can analyze, the faster we get answers,” said Dr. Buckland.
“There is now, at least within the NATO community, consensus that this is a problem and it has to be done a little earlier instead of later.
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“The first is trying to stop the injuries that occur in the first place – ie regulating exposure, are able to accurately measure exposure – to minimize the risk.”
Chief of army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart told 7.30 that he had been informed about the findings of the AVBB.
“We also work with the US who have it, I think it is about 450 brains in their brain bank. So when it comes to being able to draw conclusions of a larger data set, we are also very interested in that,” said General Stuart.
Chief of army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart says that he wants to “prevent illness or injury where we can”. ((ABC News: Craig Hansen))
“What we try to do is focus the research effort on things that will make a difference. Things that will fill the gaps in our knowledge today.“
The Australian army has been repeatedly criticized because it does not quickly act on processes that have been out for more than ten years that have repeatedly discovered that Australian soldiers run the risk of brain injury due to explosion overpressure during training and fighting.
General Stuart says that he wants to see Baseline cognitive tests of soldiers in employment and implementation – as well as monitoring and absorbing their exposure to explosions during training. Both measures that are not yet taking place about the ADF.
“I am really it to ensure that we do everything we can do to prevent illness or injury where we can,” said Lieutenant General Stuart.
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