Long-Term Postdeployment Clinical Subtypes of Risk and Resiliency in Brain Injury and Neurodegeneration

Are combat deployment exposure and mild brain injury associated with later-life neurodegeneration?In this cohort study of 288 US military service members, 4 key outcome clusters of resilience and risk were identified also associated with brain volumetric differences. While individuals with mild TBI were enriched in the risk clusters, a notable number were found in the resilient cluster, with comparisons of these same clusters over 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year follow-ups revealing an evolution over time in a clinically meaningful way.These findings underscore the need to better appreciate not only the heterogeneity of brain injury but the heterogeneity of these mild TBI outcomes.

Corresponding Author: Christine L. Mac Donald, PhD, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington, 352 9th Ave, Box 359924, Seattle, WA 98104 (cmacd@uw.edu).

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