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

Effect of Blast Exposure on Sensorimotor Gating and Fear Memory


Access the full list of previous Research Highlights to learn about the latest accomplishments in blast-injury research.

"Low-Level Blasts, Shake the Brain: Effects on Senses and Memory"

Abstract:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) from blast exposure is a growing concern, especially in military settings. This study examined whether repeated low-level blasts affect brain functions like sensorimotor gating and memory. Using a preclinical model, researchers found that repeated exposure to blasts, even at levels similar to human flashbangs, can temporarily disrupt sensory processing and fear memory.

Methods:
Repeated exposure to blast waves at different intensities (7.5, 15, and 25 PSI) and frequencies (5, 10, or 15 times) using a compressed gas shockwave tube. Researchers measured sensorimotor gating through pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) tests using touch, sound, and light at several time points after exposure. They also tested fear-related memory two weeks later using standard fear conditioning and extinction tasks.

Results:
Blasts at 15 and 25 PSI caused short-term problems with sensory filtering across multiple senses, while 7.5 PSI had little effect. The strongest blasts (25 PSI) also impaired contextual fear memory as the number of exposures increased. Startle responses remained mostly unchanged.

Conclusion:
Repeated exposure to low-level blasts can briefly affect how the processing of sensory input and remember fear. These findings might be important for the safety of military personnel who are often vulnerable to such blasts. More studies over longer time periods are essential to understand the lasting effects and to find possible treatments or protective strategies.


Night blast
Figure 1.
Credit: Army National Guard Spc. Tristin Salisbury
VIRIN: 250722-Z-FH847-3214M.JPG

References:

Vaughn MN, Geyer MA, Powell SB, Ng L, Risbrough VB, Halberstadt AL. Effect of blast exposure on sensorimotor gating and fear memory. Physiol Behav. 2025 Oct 15;300:115029. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115029. Epub 2025 Jul 12. PMID: 40659104.


Funding:

This study was supported by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) [W81XWH-11-d-0011]. VBR is supported by a Veterans Affairs (VA) Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development Research Career Scientist Award and the VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health. SBP is supported by a VA Merit Award, and SP, AH, and MG are supported by the VA Mental Illness Research and Clinical Core. MV is supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship [DGE-2038,238]. VR, MV and SBP are also supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) [R01NS135620] and NIA [R01AG079303].

Last modified: 13-Aug-2025