USA Today looks at a new study in Brain, A Journal of Neurology , that found that “VA scientists have discovered signs of early aging in the brains of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans caught near roadside bomb explosions, even among those who felt nothing from the blast.”  

“Many veterans studied said they never felt concussion-like symptoms such as dizziness, headaches or loss of consciousness. Others complained of those symptoms, but eventually saw them go away and military doctors concluded they had fully recovered. Yet in both cases, brain scans years later showed signs of degeneration and early aging.”  

“If symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia-like illnesses appear five or 10 years earlier in a large group of people, ‘this would have tremendous consequences for society,’ said William Milberg, a Harvard Medical School professor of psychology, VA scientists and study co-author.”