Name
#155 Utilization and Perceived Benefit of Alpha Stim in Service Members and Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury
Content Presented on Behalf of
VHA/VA
Services/Agencies represented
Veterans Health Administration/Veterans Affairs (VHA/VA)
Session Type
Posters
Room#/Location
Prince Georges Exhibit Hall A/B
Focus Areas/Topics
Behavioral and Mental Health
Learning Outcomes
1. Participant will be able to identify prevalence of mental health disorders in active-duty Service Members and Veterans with TBI.
2. Participant will be able to describe benefits of using Alpha-Stim with mTBI as comorbid diagnosis.
3. Discuss barriers and facilitators for use of Alpha-Stim in patients with mTBI as comorbid diagnosis.
Session Currently Live
Description
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major healthcare concern within the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) TBI Center of Excellence, 82% of TBIs experienced by service members are considered mild (concussion). In 2024, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recognized TBI as a chronic health condition. Mild traumatic brain injury presents with physical, behavioral, sleep, and cognitive symptoms. Persons with persistent post-concussive symptoms are at a significant risk of having comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, including anxiety and depression. Veterans and service members with TBI are 2-3 times more likely to develop a comorbid mental health condition such as post-traumatic stress, anxiety, or depression than those without a TBI. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) is a US Food and Drug Administration-cleared, prescriptive, noninvasive electromedical treatment that delivers a pulsed microcurrent (less than one-millionth of an ampere) via small clips worn on the earlobes. CES is FDA- cleared for use in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, and depression. To date, no studies have evaluated the effect of CES in rehabilitation of symptoms of TBI. We sought to understand current clinical practice in a mild TBI cohort admitted to a TBI rehabilitation program using CES. CES prescription is standard practice for patients admitted to the PREP (Post-Deployment Rehabilitation and Evaluation Program) program at James A Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Florida. PREP is an inpatient rehabilitation program that specializes in the evaluation and treatment of complex reactions and symptoms associated with mild TBI in Active-Duty Service Members and Veterans. In a mixed methods study design, we interviewed PREP participants following discharge regarding perceived benefits, barriers, and facilitators to using CES. Of the 81 participants included, 58 (71.6%) continued to use Alpha-Stim CES following discharge. Interviewed participants indicated benefits from the use of the device related to sleep (40.7%), relaxation/mood/anxiety/depression (56.8%), and pain (48.1%). The presentation will include an analysis of self-reported benefits, including comparisons to mental health outcome measures and demographics to determine facilitators and barriers to CES use.