Our Services

Get 15% Discount on your First Order

[rank_math_breadcrumb]

RS Prop

1

Literature Review on Brain Injuries Due to Combat

September 8, 2024

Introduction

Traumatic brain injuries are some of the most disabling types of injuries that can happen to military personnel during combat or battle. Modern warfare, which involves the improvisation of explosive devices, for instance, has increasingly caused such injuries. Long-lasting cognitive, emotional, and physical impairment because of TBIs may be expected to influence the quality of lives veterans may lead. The purpose of this literature review is to summarize current research on brain combat injuries, biases toward effects, antecedents, and treatment approaches. The literature review also intends to identify gaps in the literature that this research proposal is prone to fill.

Summary of Existing Research

The Consequences of Combat Brain Injuries

Several works outlined numerous critical consequences that have been associated with brain injuries during combat. O’Keeffe et al. 2020 indicate mild TBIs are characterized by dynamic blood-brain barrier disruption, leading to chronic neurological problems. The level of severity of brain injuries, mainly due to repeated concussions, is positively related to the severity of long-term cognitive and psychological disabilities (Brett et al., 2022). These effects include loss of memory, inability to concentrate well, depression, anxiety, and an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases. A deeper understanding of these effects would be critical in laying down effective rehabilitation strategies to improve life quality among the affected veterans.

Antecedents of Brain Injuries

The two most prevalent causes of brain injuries in personnel during combat are exposure to explosive devices and direct combat exposure. Soldiers who have had more than one concussive incident are highly likely to be suffering from severe traumatic brain injury, as was evidentially reported by Maas et al. (2022). Two leading factors contributing to the severity of the brain lesion include frequency and intensity of exposure to such incidents. It includes the following individual factors: age, gender, and rank that may affect the severity of injury and recovery outcome. Most such factors have not been widely studied in combat-related TBI; hence, there is a gap in the literature.

Approaches to Treatment

Various approaches have been studied for treating combat-related brain injury. Cognitive and physical rehabilitation programs have improved the quality of life of some TBI patients. However, such treatments are highly variable between individuals in their relative effectiveness, and effective long-term recovery has yet to be realized. Recent research has pointed out the trend towards personalized treatment schemes, considering each soldier’s peculiar circumstances. On the other hand, one finds a greater interest in preventive measures, such as advanced protective gear and training programs that can considerably reduce the incidence of brain injuries in combat.

Gaps in the Literature as many studies have been carried out on brain injuries, there are still several gaps. To begin with, there is a limited number of studies that have explored the long-term effects of mild Traumatic Brain Injury, specifically on the cognitive and emotional functioning of the person. Though this is understandable, given the lack of study of repeated concussions throughout a soldier’s career, and though a few studies do compare the efficiency of different approaches, very few indeed compare the long-term outcome of various rehabilitation strategies. Demographic factors, including age and gender, also need to be further studied in terms of their association with severity and recovery from combat-related TBIs.

Alignment with Research Proposal

This literature review fills the identified gap in the research proposal through its overview of the status of knowledge regarding brain injury among combatants. The review describes the enormity of the problem, its principal causes, and current treatment approaches. Such synthesis outlines some significant holes in the literature concerning the long-term effects of mild TBIs, the impact of multiple concussions, and treatment that requires individualized patient planning.

Such proposed research, therefore, could serve to illuminate the lacunae in knowledge related to injuries of the brain during combat about the variables surrounding their severity, the long-term effects on cognition and psychological health, and a variety of rehabilitation strategies and their modifications to meet the needs of each soldier (Maas et al., 2022). Emphasis on such focal areas will, therefore, contribute to the knowledge base on combat-related brain injury, besides developing relevant strategies for formulating better prevention and treatment.

Conclusion

Finally, combat-related TBI is one of the critical concerns concerning long-term cognitive-emotional-physical consequences for the affected soldiers. Even though past research was instrumental in illuminating the results of such traumas, their precursors, and modes of treatment, many gaps persist, with the long-term effects of mild TBI, the effect of multiple concussions, and the need for individualized treatment plans remaining among them. These lacunas are what the proposed research aims to fill as a contribution to developing improved strategies in the prevention and treatment of combat-related brain injuries. Improvement in the quality of life of the veterans, while being enhanced by the present study, will further inform policies on training protective gear and rehabilitation programs.

References

Brett, B. L., Gardner, R. C., Godbout, J., Dams-O’Connor, K., & Keene, C. D. (2022). Traumatic brain injury and risk of neurodegenerative disorder. Biological psychiatry, 91(5), 498-507.

Maas, A. I., Menon, D. K., Manley, G. T., Abrams, M., Åkerlund, C., Angelic, N., … & Zemek, R. (2022). Traumatic brain injury: progress and challenges in prevention, clinical care, and research. The Lancet Neurology, 21(11), 1004-1060.

O’Keeffe, E., Kelly, E., Liu, Y., Giordano, C., Wallace, E., Hynes, M., Tiernan, S., Meagher, A., Greene, C., Hughes, S., Burke, T., Kealy, J., Doyle, N., Hay, A., Farrell, M., Grant, G. A., Friedman, A., Veksler, R., Molloy, M. G., … Campbell, M. (2020). Dynamic Blood-Brain Barrier Regulation in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. 
Journal of Neurotrauma
37(2), 347–356.

Share This Post

Email
WhatsApp
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Reddit

Order a Similar Paper and get 15% Discount on your First Order

Related Questions

Psychology Assignment

Please check very well. No AI Due Sunday by 10:59pm Points 88 Submitting a text entry box or a file upload Attempts 0 Allowed Attempts 2 Start Assignment  Back to Week at a Glance ( ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF ASSESSMENT TOOLS IN MENTAL HEALTH In this week’s Assignment, you

FP Week 3 Discussion 1

Case Study  A victim was stabbed in the left side of the neck in a fight and sustained a small superficial stab wound of the skin and jugular vein. There was a small pool of blood at the scene; the victim, however, expired in the ambulance on the way to

FP Week 3 Assignment

InstructionsInstructions Week Three Assignment – Questions Q1. What is the forensic significance of abrasions? (5 points) Q2. What are the methods used for estimation of time of death (PM interval)? (5 points)

MSW 531

Readings McInnis-Dittrich, K. (2020).  Social work with older adults: A biopsychosocial approach to assessment and intervention (5th ed.). Pearson. · Chapter 14: Income Programs, Health Insurance, and Support Services for Older Adults: Challenges and Opportunities Ferraro, K., & Wilmoth, J. (Eds.) (2013).  Gerontology: Perspectives and Issues (4th ed.). Springer. · Chapter 11:

Psychology

  Compose a personal statement describing how this course, the study of psychology of stress, supports both your short-term and long-term goals.  Goals can include curricular, extracurricular, professional, and personal experiences.  When composing this journal discuss from your perspective (I, my, me).  Your goals and aspirations are unique to you. 

WEEK 7

Cultural Sensitivity in the Workplace and Community Advanced human services professional practitioners are bound by laws (e.g., Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964), by the NOHS code of ethics, and by organizational policies and procedures that promote ethical behavior and cultural sensitivity. Practitioners may encounter challenges when

Essentials of Psychology

SSC130: Essay Your project must be submitted as a Word document (.docx, .doc). Your project will be individually graded by your instructor and therefore may take up to five to seven days to grade. Be sure that each of your files contains the following information: Your name Your student ID

Week seven

Need help with assignment Discipline Tracker Although your focus is on a social work research topic, the knowledge you employ will come from different knowledge bases from several different disciplines. By searching different knowledge bases, you can incorporate a broader range of diverse perspectives and insights into your research. For

Psychology ABA 503- Assignment 2

ABA503 Assignment 2 Rubric Grading item Completely accurate in content and clearly articulated Partially inaccurate in content OR somewhat unclear in articulation Partially inaccurate in content AND unclear in articulation Item is missing or completely inaccurate in content Total Completed FAOF using data provided 25 17 8 0 Description of

Psychology ABA 503- Assignment 1

ABA 503 Assignments – Case Study Justin is a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with autism. He has an effective, but below average, use of spoken language but is able to communicate his emotions using picture cards that have a sad face, a neutral face and a smiley face. He is able

psychology

  1. Read Chapter 8: Biomedical Issues and Donations and research 2 other sources (include these in your reference section). 2.  Discussion Questions:  Provide arguments for and against each of the following basing your arguments on relevant research: a. National legislation legitimizing mercy killing. b. National legislation legitimizing the selling of human organs. c.  The establishment of national

Mandated Reporting

Defend the application of the mandated reporting laws in a scenario. Required Resources · Applying Ethical Theories to Ethics Codes and Ethical Decision Making Knapp, S. J., & Fingerhut, R. (2024). Applying ethical theories to ethics codes and ethical decision making. In  Practical ethics for psychologists: A positive approach., 4th

Psychology Assignment

Please follow instructions and NO AI Due Sunday by 10:59pm Points 88 Submitting a text entry box or a file upload Attempts 0 Allowed Attempts 2 Start Assignment  Back to Week at a Glance ( THEORIES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS This week, you explore a variety of models that help

Physiological Psychology

see attachment Final Reflection We have concluded the course content! I invite you to write a final reflection describing your learning experience. This activity consists of preparing a piece of writing containing the following: · What were your expectations at the beginning of the course? · Your experience in the

Psychology Can someone help me with my mental health homework?

Common elements of religious systems Common elements of religious systems: COSMOLOGY Conception of the basic nature of man/woman and the universe MYTHOLOGY Beliefs about god/goddesses; attributes of the supernatural ANIMISM Conception of the soul(s); ideas and beliefs about spirits Common elements of religious systems: ESCHATOLOGY Hierarchy of the supernatural SPIRITS

week 6 discussion QUAN

  After reading the chapter written by Baron and Kenny as well as MacKinnon, what are the properties of mediator and moderator variables? What are the differences? Why is it important to be able to distinguish the differences? As part of your original post, please find one article in your

week 6 discussion

  After reading the chapter written by Baron and Kenny as well as MacKinnon, what are the properties of mediator and moderator variables? What are the differences? Why is it important to be able to distinguish the differences? As part of your original post, please find one article in your