Military Personnel

The Lab for NeuroImaging of Coma and Consciousness is honored to support United States military personnel and Veterans by studying the effects of repeated blast exposure on brain health.

In 2020, NICC was selected to lead a comprehensive study of the long-term effects of repeated blast exposure in active-duty United States Special Operations Forces (SOF). The goal of this work is to develop a reliable diagnostic test that detects repeated blast brain injury (rBBI). We are committed to promoting the readiness, resiliency, and recovery of our nation’s elite warfighters through ongoing research into SOF brain health.


“These are American heroes who answered the call to serve after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and fought the most dangerous missions of the Global War on Terror for two decades. They deserve the best medical care, and while more research is needed, our results suggest that a diagnostic test for repeated blast brain injury is within reach.”

- Dr. Brian Edlow

Host Adam Clayton Powell III speaks with Frank Larkin, chairman of Warrior Call, and Dr. Brian Edlow, a Harvard University professor and associate director of the Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery at the Massachusetts General Hospital about the emerging science connecting veteran suicide with blast waves that they experience during training and operations.

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