Soldiers donate brain tissue for study of head injuries

The New York Times reported today that 20 active or retired members of the military have agreed to donate brain tissue for study after their death.  All 20 soldiers were victims of significant concussive brain injuries in the middle east and suffered substantial negative consequences.  They have made the donations to the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy.  The study will be conducted by the Sports Legacy Institute, which recently published research linking pathology findings to concussion injuries and damages including cognitive decline and depression among professional football players.

It was estimated by the Rand Corporation that more than 300,000 military personnel have suffered some degree of traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.  Because of the enemy's extensive use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), many experts believe that concussion injuries and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be this generation's Agent Orange.