U.S. veterans who were nearby to bomb blasts in Iraq and Afghanistan appear to experience faster brain aging, according to a new study.
The study, which is the first to examine the longer-term brain health of veteransexposed to bomb blasts, was published this week in Brain: A Journal of Neurology.
"These are exposures to blasts, not necessarily blasts that lead to concussion, that feeling of fuzziness or getting knocked out," said Dr. Regina McGlinchey, a study leader at the VA Boston and director of the Translational Research Center for TBI [Traumatic Brain Injuries] and Stress Disorders, or TRACTS. "These are events where the veterans themselves thought they were just fine."