By Chelsea Hadaway
chadaway@scbiznews.com
Published April 28, 2009

Force Protection and MUSC are counting on 300 orange heads to grab some attention.

They put the “phantom” heads on display on the steps of the U.S. Customs House today from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to educate the public about traumatic brain injury.

TBI is one of the most common combat wounds suffered in Iraq, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 1.4 million Americans suffer from it.

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Force Protection, MUSC make progress on brain injury research

An increasing number of soldiers are returning from the Middle East with TBI; however, not much research has been conducted on the condition.

This has prompted Force Protection, which manufactures armor-protected vehicles used in Iraq, and MUSC to partner in research efforts at the new Force Protection Center for Brain Research at MUSC.

Force Protection is doing field tests with simulated heads at a remote location outside of Edgefield, and it is sending back the results to the center at MUSC for researchers to evaluate.