Expert: Marine charged in Iraqi's murder may have brain injury

[The Sushi Bandit]

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/international/americas/news/20070717p2g00m0in004000c.html

CAMP PENDLETON, California -- Repeated exposure to bomb blasts may have impaired the judgment a Marine corporal charged with kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi civilian, an expert in war-related brain injuries told a military judge and jury.

Attorneys for Cpl. Trent D. Thomas rested their case Monday after calling testimony intended to show that the Marine was suffering from traumatic brain injury that impeded his ability to say no when his squad leader ordered him to snatch the man from his home in Anbar province. Thomas, who was on his third combat tour in Iraq, had been exposed to more than 25 bomb blasts that would have "rung his bell," said Maria Mouratidis, head of the traumatic stress and brain injury program at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Shock waves from such explosions can shred neurons in the brain, causing damage that may lead to difficulty making decisions, processing information quickly, and overriding impulsive responses, especially in high-pressured environments, Mouratidis said. "Corporal Thomas would have difficulty with decision-making, problem-solving and especially with coming up with different solutions in a high-pressure atmosphere," Mouratidis said. "The evidence suggests that he would be very susceptible to influence and have difficulty seeing other options."