A computer-based program that plays more like a memory game than a medical assessment could help soldiers affected by traumatic brain injury, according to a news release from Blanchfield Army Community Hospital. The Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metric (ANAM), first approved in 2008, is an assessment given during pre-deployment screening that can be used to screen them for TBI.
“ANAM is a means to evaluate a soldier’s cognitive function before and after deployments. The beauty in this model is that help is available and we can support patients’ efforts in healing,” says Dr. Bret Logan, director of Fort Campbell’s Intrepid Spirit Center. The center administers ANAM on Fort Campbell and treats TBI patients.
The release states ANAM takes a record of neurological activity, like attention, concentration, reaction time, memory, processing speed, and decision-making. Such an assessment can provide a measure of a soldier’s cognitive condition pre-deployment that can be used to compare should the soldier experience trauma.
TBI can occur after a jolt or blow to the head disrupts normal function of the brain. It may cause a loss of consciousness briefly or for an extended period of time, or make a person feel confused or even “see stars,” according to the release. However, not all blows to the head result in the condition.
“It’s just a baseline. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete,” says Donald R. Thomas, a health systems specialist, who has overseen ANAM assessments at Intrepid Spirit since 2009. “It’s a combination of reaction and memorization activities. In one section, there is a picture that comes up for three seconds and then goes away. After a moment two pictures come up and you use the mouse to pick one of the two pictures that matches what you saw before.”
Thomas says another section involves identifying missing items in a sequence. He adds the data is encrypted and sent off to their headquarters in San Antonio, Texas for storage.
“If a service member or civilian is exposed to a concussive event, like an explosion, motor vehicle accident or serious fall, resulting in trauma to the head, their health care provider can request the ANAM data, which can be used to measure differences,” says Thomas. He adds it does not test for TBI but is rather used to spot differences when evaluating for the condition.
Common signs and symptoms of a concussion or mild TBI include physical, cognitive, and emotional ones. Examples include headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and ringing in the ears.
Nationwide, Americans average more than 2 million TBIs annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those exhibiting symptoms should contact their physician.
Fort Campbell’s ANAM site, located across from the hospital, is open weekdays. Soldiers requiring assessments should call ahead to schedule a time.
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