Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Military Eyes Brain Scanners for Identifying and Preventing PTSD

by Warren Riddle on January 14, 2010 at 05:35 PM

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) poses a significant threat to military personnel, and some psychological experts believe that more than one-third of the troops returning from Iraq will suffer from some form of the debilitating psychological condition. Coping with, and easing the effects of, the disorder has proven to be incredibly difficult, so the armed forces are taking a direct, and preventive, approach in confronting the conflict epidemic.

The military is reportedly developing a portable, weather-resistant brain-scanning device. In theory, the brain monitor (which could revolutionize diagnosing psychiatric disorders) would identify the neurological markers for PTSD, anxiety, and depression. According to Wired, it could also measure an incredibly diverse array of mental functions, "including reaction time, problem solving, and memory recall."

With the military increasingly investigating unmanned combat options (and the national media currently focusing on domestic political squabbling), the U.S. men and women abroad sometimes seem to be infuriatingly overlooked. Until the U.S. can field an army of robots and drones, though, it definitely instills a sense of national pride to see the military investigating such modern technical tactics in order to protect and heal the nation's soldiers. [From: Wired]

Tags: brain, health, military, psychology, top

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular