Noteboom The Law Firm

Brain Injury Researchers to Share Info on New Database

According to the Department of Defense (DoD), almost 200,000 U.S. soldiers have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in the last 10 years. The vast majority of them have suffered the injury due to their service in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. These numbers are why TBIs are referred to as the "signature wounds" of the 21st century and are so common in veterans disability claims.

Head wounds can lead to more serious problems, which can range from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to dementia, and affect civilians as well as soldiers and veterans. For that reason, the DoD and the National Institutes of Health are joining forces to create a new federal research tool.

The $10 million database will essentially be a central collection point for CT scans, MRI brain scans, and other such neurological tests. Researchers and scientists will be able to use this collection of information to "better understand these injuries and possible better manage patient care."

The Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research (FITBIR) database will draw funding from both agencies over the next 4 years. One advantage the database will offer besides a centralized local for all that information is the data will be uniform. This will make it much easier for researchers to "compare studies with each other."

The medical community has struggled to develop objective diagnostics and treatment programs for many neurological injuries. The FITBIR database will hopefully serve as an asset for growth and understanding of these elusive injuries.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.