As many as 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans may have suffered from PTSD or depression at some point, and the military has already spent millions on treatment for returning troops - everything from "samurai meditation" to at-home computerized counselors. Now the Pentagon's advanced research arm is hoping that a combination of neuroscience, psychology, and creative pill-popping can stop battlefield stress before it even starts.

Darpa is hosting a one-day information session to solicit proposals for “Enabling Stress Resistance” among troops. They’re hoping to harness advances in molecular biology (the science of cell-to-cell interaction) and neuroscience that would short-circuit the brain’s stress response. Using animals as test subjects, Darpa first wants a precise understanding of how stress targets and damages the brain.

Recent technological developments in neuroscience present the opportunity for these challenges to be addressed as never before. Cutting edge molecular biological techniques coupled with in-vivo measurement technologies may allow for manipulation of the stress pathways and behavioral analysis in real-time. These powerful tools allow assessment of the effects of stress with extreme temporal and anatomical precision.

The program’s ultimate goal is quick-fix stress mitigation, using "cognitive, behavioral or pharmacological interventions that will prevent the deleterious effects of stress on the brain.” We've already heard talk of pills to boost soldier bravado, so stress – from occupational to emotional – could be the next target for tactical pharmacology. The intervention would prevent on-the-spot anxiety, but Darpa’s hoping it can also thwart post-traumatic symptoms, like “cognitive dysfunction and insomnia.”

Targeting the cerebral root of stress would transform mental health beyond the military, but the project is still in its infancy. Before research can start, Darpa plans to assemble a dream team, including experts and researchers in “industry, small business and academia” to tackle the initiative.

[Photo: USAF]

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