The integration of operational and medical communities in a unified approach for optimizing warfighter brain health while also preventing, diagnosing, and treating traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) poses a unique opportunity for merging the worlds of simulation and healthcare. Specifically, the merging of these two worlds could produce assessments, interventions, and trainings with high levels of ecological validity while also facilitating adaptive neuroplasticity for enhancing warfighter brain health. This tutorial is intended to introduce simulation professionals to the future opportunities related warfighter brain health and promote the development of new technology for optimizing performance. We will cover key concepts relating to the prevalence, symptoms, and diagnosis of TBI as well as review longstanding issues related to the assessment and treatment of service members after a TBI. We will then discuss how to measure cognitive function and improvement with commonly utilized TBI outcome measures that are seen in current simulation technology. With overviews from eye tracking, electroencephalographic (EEG), and behavioral studies we will discuss similarities and differences in measuring cognition with TBI and healthy controls that may influence outcomes within simulation-based platforms. Finally, we explore the need and opportunities to scale current simulation tools for healthcare application to harness the possibilities for enhancing cognition and mitigating the effects of TBI as a possible deterrent to the warfighter.
The tutorial has four major sections:
- Overview of the Department of Defense (DOD) Brain Health Initiative.
- Current limitations in cognitive performance assessment and training.
- Facilitating neuroplasticity through simulation-based tools for optimizing cognitive performance and warfighter readiness.
- Future healthcare applications of simulation-based tools to support warfighter brain health.