VCU has been awarded a 50 million dollar federal grant to oversee a national study on the long-term impacts of mild traumatic brain injuries and concussions on service members and veterans. It could have widespread implications.
The Principal Investigator is Dr. David X. Cifu.
"There is a clear understanding that concussions are an epidemic in sports, in the military and in just day-to-day life," Cifu said.
Researchers have already discovered links to dementia, Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, opioid use and suicide risk.
"We’re going to be the linkage to help people understand when you have this kind of an injury, what’s the chance you’re going to get to this level and what can you do to prevent that from happening."
The 50 million dollar study is funded by the Department of Defense and Veteran’s Affairs and will involve universities and hospitals and clinics across the country, including the McGuire VA Medical Center.
It’s for five years. And it begins tomorrow.