Experts on brain injury are trying to take what they've learned on the football field and apply it to the battlefield.

That will mean identifying military personnel who have suffered a concussion, and forcing them to rest until their brains have a chance to heal.

The approach is similar to what happens in the NFL -- players who suffer a concussion may be benched for a week or more, even if they object.

Brain injury experts say mandatory rest and evaluation are even more important in combat because of new discoveries about the way energy from an explosion appears to reach the brain and cause damage. The goal is to prevent fighters who have already had one concussion from suffering another while their brain is still especially vulnerable to damage.