FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 2008
CONTACT: Matt Mackowiak
Sen. Hutchison: DOD Awards UT Health Science Center-Houston $33 Million for Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Texas Institutions Will Lead TBI Research for the Defense Department
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Texas’ senior senator, today announced a $33 million Department of Defense (DOD) grant award to a consortium of Texas institutions for traumatic brain injury (TBI) research. The five year-long research project will investigate improved methods for diagnosis and treatment of TBI and will be led by the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston (UTHSC-H).
“One of the most common types of injury we are seeing in our military personnel in Iraq or Afghanistan is traumatic brain injury sustained in the battlefield,” said Sen. Hutchison. “It is critical that we learn as much about this devastating condition as possible so we can swiftly diagnose and effectively treat our troops who have been injured serving our country.”
“I am proud that the Department of Defense has selected UTHSC-H, and its partners, to conduct this important study. Texas’ research and education institutions have long attracted the brightest minds, and their research efforts will help make important advancements in the treatment of medical challenges like TBI,” Sen. Hutchison said.
The Defense Department awarded a $33.6 million Traumatic Brain Injury Consortium grant to fund a five-year investigation led by UTHSC-H, along with collaborative research partners at Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and Rice University. The consortium will seek to learn more about how these injuries are sustained through test injury models. The research will also explore methods to better diagnose and characterize TBI cases, and administer therapy to individuals who have sustained trauma.
The DOD has reported a rise of TBI in troops serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom due, in part, to insurgents’ use of improvised explosive devices and roadside bombs. As of June 2007, over 3,000 service men and women had sustained a TBI. Sixty-nine percent of those injuries were caused by blasts.
TBI impacts several areas of brain function. Cognitive activity is commonly impaired, affecting attention, memory, speech, reactivity, and problem-solving. Other symptoms of TBI include mood changes, depression, anxiety, impulsive behavior, and emotional outbursts. In severe cases, TBI can cause permanent disability.
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