Military/Veterans

Deployment-related insomnia in military personnel and veterans
Preliminary outcome data, showing positive results for reduction of sleep disruption, has been found with treatments such as combined cognitive behavioral treatment of insomnia (CBTI) and imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT), preference-based interventions, as well as efforts to broadly disseminate CBTI. The recent literature on the impact and treatment of deployment-related insomnia is reviewed. Bramoweth AD, Germain A. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2013 Oct;15(10):401. Review. PMID: 24005883

Scientists discover a new pathway for fear deep within the brain
In work published today in The Journal of Neuroscience, Li and his team identify a group of long-range neurons that extend from the central amygdala. These neurons project to an area of the brainstem, known as the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG), that controls the fear response. MedicalXpress

Gulf War and Health, Volume 9: Long-Term Effects of Blast Exposures 2014
The committee outlined several recommendations for urgent research to inform decisions on how to prevent and better diagnose blast injuries, and how to treat, rehabilitate, and support victims of battlefield trauma in the immediate aftermath and in the long term. In this research agenda, it is especially important to emphasize that blasts create unusual patterns of injury that can affect multiple organs and systems of the body, a complexity that has often been overlooked in previous studies. Understanding these cross-system interactions should be a priority for future research, the committee stressed. It also is essential that future studies use a standardized definition of blast exposure, once it is developed.  NAP