Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Nov 2021
Concussion risk and resilience: relationship with pre-injury salience network connectivity.
Concussion is a major health concern, making it critical to identify factors that influence risk and resilience. The salience network (SN) likely plays a key role in concussion risk, given its roles in orienting attention, functional adaptability, and interoceptive awareness. The SN's functions are thought to be mediated through causal control of other networks, including the default mode network (DMN) and executive control network (ECN). ⋯ Functional connectivity and white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) were compared between concussed and control groups. Prior to injury, CSS athletes had significantly elevated total symptom severity scores, elevated SN-DMN functional connectivity and reduced FA of connecting white matter tracts, whereas CLS athletes showed no significant clinical or imaging effects. These findings provide new insights into the neurobiology of concussion risk and resilience, as indices of SN-DMN network connectivity are associated with short-term but not long-term concussion risk.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Nov 2021
P13BP, a calpain-2-mediated breakdown product of PTPN13, is a novel blood biomarker for Traumatic Brain Injury.
Biomarkers play an increasing role in medicinal biology. They are used for diagnosis, management, drug target identification, drug responses, and disease prognosis. We have discovered that calpain-1 and calpain-2 play opposite functions in neurodegeneration, with calpain-1 activation being neuroprotective, while prolonged calpain-2 activation is neurodegenerative. ⋯ One of the fragments generated by calpain-2, referred to as P13BP, is also found in the blood after TBI both in mice and humans. In humans, P13BP blood levels are significantly correlated with the severity of TBI, as measured by Glasgow Coma Scale scores and loss of consciousness. The results indicate that P13BP represents a novel blood biomarker for TBI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Nov 2021
Meta AnalysisAgitated behaviours following traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence by post-traumatic amnesia status, hospital setting and agitated behaviour type.
Agitation is a common behavioral problem following traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, the precise proportion of patients who experience agitation in the early stages of recovery is unknown. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the prevalence of agitation in TBI patients undergoing inpatient care, and whether this prevalence differed by post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) status and setting (acute and rehabilitation). We also aimed to describe the prevalence of sub-types of agitated behavior (disinhibited, aggressive, and emotionally labile). ⋯ Disinhibited behaviors were the most common. There was substantial heterogeneity between studies. Additional high-quality research featuring large samples, frequent and long-term measurement of agitation, use of validated scales, and consideration of variables such as PTA status will further improve estimates of agitation prevalence following TBI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Nov 2021
Alterations in the Topology of Functional Connectomes are Associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Blast-Related Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Combat Veterans.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common condition in post-deployment service members (SM). SMs of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan also frequently experience traumatic brain injury (TBI) and exposure to blasts during deployments. This study evaluated the effect of these conditions and experiences on functional brain connectomes in post-deployment, combat-exposed veterans. ⋯ These results demonstrate a distinct functional connectome presentation associated with the presence of both blast-related mild TBI and PTSD. These findings suggest the possibility that blast-related mild TBI alterations in functional brain connectomes affect the presentation or progression of recovery from PTSD. The current results offer mixed support for hyper-connectivity in the chronic phase of deployment TBI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Nov 2021
Diffusion tensor imaging in sport-related concussion: A systematic review using an a priori quality rating system.
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of brain white matter (WM) may be useful for characterizing the nature and degree of brain injury after sport-related concussion (SRC) and assist in establishing objective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review using an a priori quality rating strategy to determine the most consistent DTI-WM changes post-SRC. Articles published in English (until June 2020) were retrieved by standard research engine and gray literature searches (N = 4932), using PRISMA guidelines. ⋯ DTI metrics were commonly associated with SRC symptom severity, although standardized SRC diagnostics would improve future research. This indicates that microstructural recovery is often incomplete at return to play and may lag behind clinically assessed recovery measures. Future work should explore interindividual trajectories to improve understanding of the heterogeneous and dynamic WM patterns post-SRC.