CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have received a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to test whether a cutting-edge magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner can identify now-undetectable brain injuries in soldiers exposed to blasts.
Previous research studies have shown blast exposures may create distinct brain scarring caused by nervous system cells called astrocytes, said James R. Stone, MD, PhD, the UVA Health radiologist leading the research team. However, this scarring can only be seen after a patient’s death, when the brain can be examined under a microscope.
If this new MRI scanner – recently installed at UVA’s Fontaine Research Park – can spot the brain scarring, it could lead to a new imaging test to identify brain changes caused by blast-related injuries. This could help better diagnose service members with blast-related brain injuries whose routine brain imaging scans comes back normal; guide the development of new treatments; and determine what level of blast exposure is unsafe for military personnel…