Warfighter Brain Health Hub

Protecting the Mind and Powering Mission Success

Clear thinking and rapid decision-making are vital for mission success. In high-stakes environments, split-second decisions protect lives and accomplish the mission.

The Warfighter Brain Health Initiative works to protect service members from preventable injuries, provides guidance for fast and effective care, and helps medical care teams verify every warfighter performs at their best.

What the Brain Health Initiative Does

We work across the Military Health System to monitor, protect, and restore brain health through every stage of military service.

  • Prevent and Protect: Identify risks early and reduce exposures to operational hazards, like blast overpressure.
  • Monitor Baseline Health: Conduct regular cognitive checkups to catch changes in brain function early.
  • Detect and Treat Injuries: Quickly diagnose concussions and traumatic brain injuries to speed recovery.
  • Support Long-Term Care: Connect warfighters with specialized rehabilitation that helps address physical and mental complications
  • Drive Groundbreaking Research: Study brain health to develop better protective gear, safety guidelines, and clinical treatments

Supporting warfighter brain health and performance helps medical teams catch issues early, keeping service members ready, resilient, and mission capable of maximizing Joint Force superiority and lethality in all operating environments.

Guidance for the Force

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Publication
Jan. 20, 2026

2026 TBICoE Training Calendar

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Review and download the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence's 2026 training event calendar. Providers and leaders can learn more about the Acute Concussion Care Pathway, the latest clinical recommendations for TBI management, and other important warfighter brain health topics.

Publication
Jan. 20, 2026

Mild TBI and PTSD Clinical Pearls

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TBICoE's "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Pearls," is a supplemental product to the detailed research review. This resource is designed to be a brief and actionable clinical resource for providers treating service members with both mild TBI and PTSD.

Publication
Jan. 14, 2026

March 18: TBICoE Annual Brain Health Symposium

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Join the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence for the 2026 Annual Brain Health Symposium, a dynamic, full-day virtual event bringing together leaders in military medicine, neuroscience, and rehabilitation to explore the latest advances in brain health and TBI care. 6 CME/CEs pending

Publication
Sept. 25, 2025

TBICoE Information Paper on Creatine and TBI

.PDF | 169.16 KB

This information paper by the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence provides a general overview of the current state of the science for using creatine to treat mild TBI and to optimize brain health and performance.

Fact Sheet
Sept. 16, 2025

Blast Overpressure Provider Support Tool

.PDF | 513.90 KB

The "Blast Overpressure Provider Support Tool" contains key information about blast overpressure (high and low-level blast), symptoms associated with BOP exposure, and the steps to address BOP exposure—documentation, symptom management, and coding. It also includes details on the occupational specialties and weapon systems that can increase risk of ...

Fact Sheet
Sept. 16, 2025

What You Should Know About Blast Overpressure Fact Sheet

.PDF | 707.96 KB

TBICoE developed this fact sheet for service members to learn more about blast overpressure, low-level blast, and high-level blast exposures and what possible effects those exposures can have on their brain health. Service members should be aware of the potential effects of blast exposures, which occupations and heavy weapon systems are associated ...

Report
Aug. 21, 2025

2000-2024 DOD TBI Worldwide Numbers At-A-Glance

.PDF | 846.77 KB

TBICoE is the Defense Department’s office of responsibility for tracking traumatic brain injury data in the U.S. military. The "DOD TBI Numbers At-A-Glance" provide a high-level overview of TBI's sustained since 2000 and also show the data by severity and service branch.

Publication
July 25, 2025

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and TBI

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HBOT is considered an effective treatment for a variety of conditions, but evidence of its effectiveness for the treatment of TBI and post-concussion symptoms remains inconclusive. This information paper summarizes evidence from clinical studies on the use of HBOT for treatment of TBI and post-concussion symptoms.

Publication
July 24, 2025

Neurodegenerative Diseases and Traumatic Brain Injury Information Paper

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The long term effects of TBI are unknown, but there is concern that there may be an association with neurodegenerative diseases years after the injury. The intention of this information paper is to summarize the available evidence for or against an association of TBI with three of the more common neurodegenerative diseases.

Article
June 24, 2025

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research-West Begins Recruitment for Study of Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Bourguillon, assessor with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research-West, applies electrodes to U.S. Army Spc. Amanda Pinkston as part of a study on brain health and posttraumatic stress disorder

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research-West has launched two behavioral health studies focused on repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries and occupation-related repetitive exposure to tier-1 weapons, marking a significant step toward strengthening resilience and performance in operational settings.