US Department of Defense
BLAST INJURY RESEARCH
COORDINATING OFFICE
Advancing Blast Injury Research to Protect and Heal Those Who Serve

Frequently Asked Questions

Click any question below to view the related answer.

Q: Do blasts cause concussions or mild traumatic brain (TBI) injuries?

A: Blast-related TBI is commonly caused by the secondary and tertiary blast mechanisms (blast winds propel fragments against the body causing damage [secondary] or propel the body causing injuries similar to those that occur in a car crash or fall [tertiary]). The existence of brain injuries caused by the primary mechanism of blast alone, without secondary or tertiary head impacts, is a topic of continuing study within Department of Defense (DoD) research programs. The DoD Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office (BIRCO) hosted their first State-of-the-Science (SoS) meeting in 2009 on "Non-Impact, Blast-Induced Mild Traumatic Brain Injury" to address this specific question by critically examining research focused on the relationship between blast exposure and non-impact, blast-induced mild TBI and reviewing proposed injury mechanisms.

Learn more about the findings from this meeting.

Q: What is the definition of blast injury?

Q: What type of injuries result from blast exposure?

Q: Does the Department of Defense (DoD) Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office (BIRCO) provide research funding?

Q: What is the role of the Department of Defense (DoD) Brain Health Research Program Coordinator?

Q: How does the Department of Defense (DoD) Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office (BIRCO) define Brain Health?

Last modified: 18-Jun-2019