TBI pre-screening on rise

[unhappycamper]

Nearly 4,000 soldiers from the 1st Armored Division, 2nd Brigade are having their short-term memory and basic problem solving abilities tested before deploying to Iraq. The test gives doctors something to compare with after the deployment. The test is intended to help diagnose instances of mild traumatic brain injury, which is common among deployed soldiers.


TBI pre-screening on rise
By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, January 28, 2008

BAUMHOLDER, Germany — The soldiers meandered through the old warehouse by the hundreds, moving from stall to stall to make sure their affairs are in order before deploying to Iraq this spring.

Just like any other pre-deployment processing, the soldiers went through the ritual of getting vaccinations updated, wills completed and photos taken.

But for the roughly 4,000 soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, the checklist included something new: a cognitive test that will help diagnose if a soldier is suffering from mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

“It’s a pre-deployment baseline,” said Robert E. Schlegel, a researcher with the University of Oklahoma whose team was in Baumholder last week conducting the tests for the Army.

The concept is to get an assessment of a soldier’s cognitive functioning before deployment.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51985