Adaptive Game for Auditory Training and Evaluation (AGATE)

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has been called the signature wound of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The rise in overall survival rates and increase in brain injuries can be attributed to advances in medical technology and Kevlar body armor, which effectively protects soldiers from otherwise fatal blows, but leaves the head and neck area unprotected. The most frequent cause of injuries among more than 22,600 US warfighters, as of November 4, 2006, has been blasts from rocket-propelled grenades, land mines, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). While current helmets can shield a soldier from penetrating head injuries, they do not absorb kinetic effects resulting from powerful blasts that can lead to closed head injuries, such as TBI. Some likely symptoms of brain injuries include deficits in cognitive processing speed, multitasking, and cognitive endurance; more severe injuries can lead to declines in executive function and self-awareness. Therefore, the development of tools and technologies that compensate for associated deficits is imperative. Aptima proposes to develop a prototype of the Adaptive Game for Auditory Training and Evaluation (AGATE) to train those with central auditory processing disorders. AGATE will be an internet delivered, game based, adaptive trainer.