Long-Term Effects of Blast Exposure: A Functional Study in Rats Using an Advanced Blast Simulator.

Anecdotal observations of blast victims indicate that significant neuropathological and neurobehavioral defects may develop at later stages of life. To pre-clinically model this phenomenon, we have examined neurobehavioral changes in rats up to 1 year after exposure to single and tightly coupled repeated blasts using an advanced blast simulator. Neurobehavioral changes were monitored at acute, sub-acute, and chronic time-points using Morris water maze test of spatial learning and memory, novel object recognition test of short-term memory, open field exploratory activity as a test of anxiety/depression, a rotating pole test for vestibulomotor function, and a rotarod balance test for motor coordination.

Blast Induced Neurotrauma Leads To Changes In The Epigenome.

Blast induced neurotrauma (BINT) leads to widespread aberrant gene expression and molecular changes resulting in cognitive impairment. Enzymes such as HDAC2, HDAC6, SIRT1, DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b control histone acetylation and DNA methylation which play a major role in regulation of the transcriptome. Changes in the expression of these enzymes have been implicated in the pathology of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).