Operation Enduring Brain Health has enrolled more than 400 participants to investigate long-term neurological challenges affecting military service members and veterans.
As the nation honors veterans this Veterans Day, UNT Health Fort Worth is advancing a $5 million state-funded research initiative to better understand brain health challenges facing military service members and veterans.
Led by UNT Health’s Institute for Translational Research, Operation Enduring Brain Health is a two-year longitudinal study examining conditions such as traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress and cognitive impairment. Since beginning enrollment in spring 2026, the study has enrolled more than 400 participants, with researchers working toward a goal of 700.
The initiative received $5 million in state funding for the 2026-27 biennium, supporting research that could help identify opportunities for earlier intervention, improve preventive care and inform future clinical trials.
“Through Operation Enduring Brain Health, we will generate not only science to better understand the brain health of those who have sacrificed so much in service of our country but also provide the foundation to bring clinical trials to this community,” said Dr. Sid O’Bryant, executive director of the institute. “The goal of this study is to first understand the issues and then do something about it.”
Operation Enduring Brain Health uses cognitive and functional assessments, brain imaging and blood samples to investigate factors associated with brain health among active-duty military service members and veterans.
The study is designed to examine brain health over time, providing researchers with an opportunity to better understand neurological and cognitive challenges affecting military populations.
By combining these assessments, researchers hope to gain a more comprehensive understanding of brain health and identify findings that could eventually inform prevention strategies, clinical care and future treatment options.
The initiative marks UNT Health’s first brain health research study specifically focused on military service members and veterans, expanding the university’s efforts to understand conditions that can affect health and quality of life during and after military service.
Dr. Raul Vintimilla, the institute’s Institutional Review Board regulatory director and the study’s principal investigator, said the research reflects a commitment to improving care for the military community.
“Research like this is essential to ensuring that service members and veterans receive the best possible care, both during and after their service,” Vintimilla said.
Operation Enduring Brain Health builds on the Institute for Translational Research’s extensive research in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other neurological conditions. Led by O’Bryant, the institute focuses on advancing brain health through precision medicine, with an emphasis on understanding health disparities and developing more personalized approaches to care.
Through this initiative, UNT Health aims to extend that expertise to military populations and generate research that could ultimately improve brain health outcomes for those who have served.
For more information about Operation Enduring Brain Health, visit oebh.org or call 817-735-7805.
About UNT Health
UNT Health Fort Worth, located in the heart of the Fort Worth Cultural District, trains the health care providers, public health workforce and scientists of the future in an interprofessional ecosystem. Through its four colleges — Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Professions, and College of Nursing — students learn to work in teams and develop an innovative mindset that prepares them for a rapidly changing health landscape. UNT Health Clinical Practice Group, the clinical enterprise of UNT Health, provides patient-centered care to people across Tarrant County. UNT Health’s research enterprise provides a foundation to expand the frontiers of scientific discovery to improve health and well-being.