US veteran groups are calling for more TBI research after new VA data showed reported cases rose by 26 per cent between 2021 and 2025.
More than 28,000 cases a year were reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs database during that period.
From 2001 to 2025, roughly 556,502 veterans screened positive for TBI, had a related diagnosis recorded in VA medical records or filed a disability compensation claim.
Traumatic brain injury occurs when a sudden blow to the head damages the brain.
Disabled American Veterans and the Invisible Wounds Foundation have called on Congress to increase funding for research into preventing, diagnosing and treating the condition.
The statement was issued by DAV national commander Coleman Nee and Invisible Wounds Foundation chief executive Shannon Connell.
“A TBI diagnosis shouldn’t be a life sentence,” the advocates said.
“Promising research is underway to improve diagnostic and treatment solutions.
“We call on Congress to increase funding and direct greater focus toward service member and veteran-centred TBI research. The health and well-being of those who have taken the oath to protect our nation are at stake.”
The call follows substantial cuts to congressional spending on related research and treatment.
Funding fell from US$175m in the 2024 fiscal year to US$40.5m in the 2026 fiscal year, according to multiple reports.
On July 20, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed bipartisan legislation introduced by representative Frank Pallone Jr to reauthorise national programmes addressing the condition through 2030.
The legislation is awaiting a Senate vote.
Recent research has examined whether chemicals derived from the gut microbiome could prevent seizures caused by post-traumatic epilepsy, a condition that can develop after a brain injury.
Researchers at Texas A&M University’s Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine studied sodium butyrate, a molecule produced when gut bacteria break down food.
Tests on injured brain tissue found the molecule could block enzymes called histone deacetylases, or HDACs, which are triggered by brain injury and cause inflammation and other symptoms linked to post-traumatic epilepsy.
The US Army has also started fielding a handheld diagnostic device called i-STAT Alinity through medical teams in Europe.
The device analyses a blood sample for brain biomarkers released when an injury occurs and can detect signs of neural damage in less than 15 minutes.
An Army official described it as the “single most important advancement” in detecting traumatic brain injuries.
