Abstract
In this issue of Journal of Neurotrauma, we are excited to present a fantastic lineup of articles on exciting topics in the domain of traumatic brain injury. We'd like to draw special attention to the article by Modica et al. entitled “Development of a Blast Exposure Estimator from a Department of Defense-Wide Survey Study on Military Service Members.” In it, the authors develop a single, quantitative metric that reflects the lifetime exposure to blast events based on self-report. While there is tremendous interest in objective blast gauge measures and multiple studies are ongoing, most military service members have not been wearing blast gauges during most of their military careers, and previous self-report based assessments have been largely qualitative. This quantitative measure is therefore a major step forward for the field. Most notably, the authors report a clear, quantitative threshold for several blast-related concerns, including hearing loss, ringing in the ears, and subjective forgetfulness. As the authors point out, the new quantitative blast exposure estimator “can be used to track ongoing exposure and potentially identify those who may be at risk for developing blast-related outcomes.” The approach and results presented by Modica et al. are analogous to that of Montenigro et al. ([2017]. Cumulative head impact exposure predicts later-life depression, apathy, executive dysfunction, and cognitive impairment in former high school and college football players. 34, 328–340.