BSL

BACKGROUND

Chronic stress is a leading military health concern. Its physiological consequences have a detrimental impact on warfighter health, well-being, and performance, which ultimately influences individual and unit readiness. Using cutting-edge tools like genetics and salivary biomarkers, the Biobehavioral Sciences Lab (BSL) conducts research to better understand the relationship between physical and psychological stressors, gene–environment interactions, and how to increase warfighter readiness.

VALUE

The BSL team includes physiologists, nutritionists, and sports psychologists who collaborate to:

Develop resilience-building strategies by identifying factors that influence individual responses to physical and psychological stress
Provide a scientific foundation for military training programs by conducting controlled studies of elite warfighters
Preserve warfighter performance by investigating individual differences in genetic disposition, hormone profile, physical fitness, dietary habits, and coping skills that may buffer the effects of stress

GOALS

To improve warfighter readiness by identifying factors that mitigate chronic stress exposure, and to translate our research findings into actionable intelligence for military leaders to support policy and programming decisions.

CAPABILITIES

The BSL scientifically evaluates physical and psychological factors associated with stress and resilience.

Research capabilities include:

Survey administration to capture health behaviors, physical health history, psychological health, and blast exposure
Using salivary bioscience to develop genetic and hormonal profiles and to measure biological age
Cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health assessments
Psychometric scale development and validation

RESEARCH

Genetic and environmental forces shape human functional movement
Combat and blast exposure blunt sympathetic nervous system response to acute exercise stress
Blast exposure interacts with genetic predisposition to predict posttraumatic stress
Genetic risk for major depression and suicidal ideation is mitigated by physical activity

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