ABSTRACT
Most of the reported cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States are classified as a concussion or a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). This approximation (75% of the annual 1.7 million cases; Faul et al., 2010) is likely underestimated since epidemiological reports do not include cases assessed outside of hospital settings, such as data from the military, or incidents that go untreated. MTBI is becoming a major public health problem, not only with respect to the general population, but also for specific groups of individuals such as athletes and military personnel. The growing concern regarding consequences of MTBI is evident in the recent media attention given to athletes and soldiers suffering from deficits associated with concussive events. According to U.S. Military Casualty Statistics from the 2010 Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, the incidence of MTBI between 2000 and 2010 was 137,328 cases (out of 178,876 total TBI cases).
