Factors Associated With U.S. Army Physician Service After Obligation Completion.

Introduction: Approximately, 320 physicians enter active duty in the U.S. Army each year, replacing a similar number separating from service.

Higher Pretreatment Blood Pressure Is Associated With Greater Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Reduction in Soldiers Treated With Prazosin.

Background: In a previously reported positive randomized controlled trial of the α-adrenoreceptor (αAR) antagonist prazosin for combat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 67 active duty soldiers, baseline symptoms did not predict therapeutic response. If increased brain αAR activation in PTSD is the target of prazosin treatment action, higher brain αAR activation should predict greater prazosin efficacy. Although brain αAR activation is not measurable, coregulated peripheral αAR activation could provide an estimate of brain αAR activation.

A trial of prazosin for combat trauma PTSD with nightmares in active-duty soldiers returned from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Objective: The authors conducted a 15-week randomized controlled trial of the alpha-1 adrenoreceptor antagonist prazosin for combat trauma nightmares, sleep quality, global function, and overall symptoms in active-duty soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) returned from combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Method: Sixty-seven soldiers were randomly assigned to treatment with prazosin or placebo for 15 weeks. Drug was titrated based on nightmare response over 6 weeks to a possible maximum dose of 5 mg midmorning and 20 mg at bedtime for men and 2 mg midmorning and 10 mg at bedtime for women.

An experimental platform to study the closed-loop performance of brain-machine interfaces.

The non-stationary nature and variability of neuronal signals is a fundamental problem in brain-machine interfacing. We developed a brain-machine interface to assess the robustness of different control-laws applied to a closed-loop image stabilization task. Taking advantage of the well-characterized fly visuomotor pathway we record the electrical activity from an identified, motion-sensitive neuron, H1, to control the yaw rotation of a two-wheeled robot.

Prazosin treatment of trauma nightmares and sleep disturbance in soldiers deployed in Iraq.

Trauma nightmares and sleep disturbance impair combat soldiers' functioning. The alpha-1 adrenoreceptor antagonist prazosin has been demonstrated effective for these symptoms in Vietnam veterans. Thirteen soldiers seeking relief from distressing trauma nightmares impairing military function in northern Iraq in 2006 received prazosin alone or in combination with other psychotropics.

The long war and parental combat deployment: effects on military children and at-home spouses.

Objective: Given the growing number of military service members with families and the multiple combat deployments characterizing current war time duties, the impact of deployments on military children requires clarification. Behavioral and emotional adjustment problems were examined in children (aged 6 through 12) of an active duty Army or Marine Corps parent currently deployed (CD) or recently returned (RR) from Afghanistan or Iraq.

Method: Children (N = 272) and their at-home civilian (AHC) (N = 163) and/or recently returned active duty (AD) parent (N = 65) were interviewed.

Re-entry and reintegration: returning home after combat.

Soldier life exists on a continuum of readiness for deployment. Re-entry and reintegration-the return home and reunion with family and community-key the success of the deployment cycle. In current and projected future operations, the Army and society will both bear the burden of this re-entry and re-integration.