a b s t r a c tAnecdotal and preliminary evidence suggests that Soldiers returning from a combat deployment engage in an increased number of health risk behaviors. Three potential factors driving this change were examined in this study; posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI), and perceived invincibility. We studied members of a combat arms brigade one month prior to a deployment to Iraq and approximately one month after their return (N ¼ 319). Participants anonymously completed surveys characterizing attitudes about risk, risk propensity, invincibility, engagement in health risk behaviors, and personality. Using standardized screening instruments, participants were categorized with respect to PTSD and probable TBI. Results suggest that Soldiers engage in more alcohol use and reckless driving behaviors post-deployment. These changes were exaggerated in those who screened positive for PTSD. Perception of one's invincibility and survival skills increased postdeployment thus suggesting that participants felt less susceptible to adverse consequences and more adept at surviving dangerous situations. This study provides documentation of the pattern of health behavior in Soldiers engaged in the deployment cycle. Our findings suggest increases in the number of risks Soldiers' engage in post-deployment are not limited to those with PTSD symptomtotology. This study has implications for not only adjustment to life post-deployment at the individual level but also operational readiness.Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Like previous research, this study strongly suggests that both drugs can maintain acceptable levels of mood and performance during sleep deprivation. The results also confirm that modafinil is well tolerated and appears to be a good alternative to dextroamphetamine for countering the debilitating mood and cognitive effects of sleep loss during sustained operations.

Implementation of the recommendations reduced SS in the new simulators at the cost of limiting session duration and shutting down some simulator features. Although the optimal solution to the SS problem lies in addressing SS during a simulator's design stage, these recommendations can be used as interim solutions to reduce SS.

While the results of this study support the efficacy of modafinil, the main finding is the large literature gap evaluating the short- and long-term effects of these drugs in healthy adults.

Objective The overarching objective was to evaluate whether workload sensory-domain specificity could be identified through electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings during simulated rotary-wing operations. Background Rotary-wing aviators experience workload from different sensory domains, although predominantly through auditory and visual domains. Development of real-time monitoring tools using psychophysiological indices, such as EEG recordings, could enable identification of aviator overload in real time. Method Two studies were completed, both of which recorded EEG, task performance, and self-report data. In Study 1, 16 individuals completed a basic auditory and a basic visual laboratory task where workload was manipulated. In Study 2, 23 Army aviators completed simulated aviation flights where workload was manipulated within auditory and visual sensory domains. Results Results from Study 1 found differences in frontal alpha activity during the auditory task, and that alpha and beta activities were associated with perceived workload. Frontal theta activity was found to differ during the visual task while frontal alpha was associated with perceived workload. Study 2 found support for frontal beta activity and the ratio of beta to alpha + theta to differentiate level of workload within the auditory domain. Conclusion There is likely a role of frontal alpha and beta activities in response to workload manipulations within the auditory domain; however, this role becomes more equivocal when examined in a multifaceted flight scenario. Application Results from this study provide a basis for understanding changes in EEG activity when workload is manipulated in sensory domains that can be used in furthering the development of real-time monitoring tools.