Lifetime blast exposure is not related to cognitive performance or psychiatric symptoms in US military personnel.

Abstract<bold>Objective:</bold> The present study aimed to examine the impact of lifetime blast exposure (LBE) on neuropsychological functioning in service members and veterans (SMVs). <bold>Method:</bold> Participants were 282 SMVs, with and without history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), who were prospectively enrolled in a Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC)-Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence (TBICoE) Longitudinal TBI Study. A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data was conducted. LBE was based on two factors: Military Occupational Speciality (MOS) and SMV self-report. Participants were divided into three groups based on LBE: Blast Naive (<italic>n</italic> = 61), Blast + Low Risk MOS (<italic>n</italic> = 96), Blast + High Risk MOS (<italic>n</italic> = 125). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to examine group differences on neurocognitive domains and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form. <bold>Results:</bold> There were no statistically significant differences in attention/working memory, processing speed, executive functioning, and memory (<italic>Fs</italic> < 1.75, ps > .1, ηp2s < .032) or in General Cognition (<italic>Fs <</italic> 0.95, ps > .3, ηp2s < .008). Prior to correction for covariates, lifetime blast exposure was related to Restructured Clinical (<italic>F</italic>(18,542) <italic>=</italic> 1.77, <italic>p</italic> = .026, ηp2 = .055), Somatic/Cognitive (<italic>F</italic>(10,550) <italic>=</italic> 1.99, <italic>p</italic> = .033, ηp2 = .035), and Externalizing Scales (<italic>F</italic>(8,552) <italic>=</italic> 2.17, <italic>p</italic> = .028, ηp2 = .030); however, these relationships did not remain significant after correction for covariates (<italic>Fs <</italic> 1.53, ps > .145, ηp2s < .032). <bold>Conclusions:</bold> We did not find evidence of a relationship between LBE and neurocognitive performance or psychiatric symptoms. This stands in contrast to prior studies demonstrating an association between lifetime blast exposure and highly sensitive blood biomarkers and/or neuroimaging. Overall, findings suggest the neuropsychological impact of lifetime blast exposure is minimal in individuals remaining in or recently retired from military service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]