The Neurological Effects of Repeated Exposure to Military Occupational Blast Implications for Prevention and Health : Proceedings, Findings, and Expert Recommendations from the Seventh Annual Department of Defense State-of-the-Science Meeting, 12-14 March, 2018

There has been growing concern about the risk of subconcussive neurological injuries that service members face after repeated, low-level blasts during training and in combat. To examine this risk, the current evidence base, and potentially promising methods and tools for prevention and detection, the Department of Defense held its Seventh State-of-the-Science Meeting in March 2018. The meeting featured findings from a scientific literature review, panel discussions, presentations by researchers in the field, a poster session, and working groups chaired by expert panelists that assessed the state of the science and put forward recommendations regarding policy and strategy guidance and future research directions. Experts in the field concluded that a much stronger evidence base is needed to identify the frequency of exposure, occupation-specific risk factors, appropriate exposure thresholds, potential neurological consequences, and approa