Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2023
Mild traumatic brain injury induces time and sex-dependent cerebrovascular dysfunction and stroke vulnerability.
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) produces subtle cerebrovascular impairments that persist over time and promote increased ischemic stroke vulnerability. We recently established a role for vascular impairments in exacerbating stroke outcomes 1 week after TBI, but there is a lack of research regarding long-term impacts of mTBI-induced vascular dysfunction, as well as a significant need to understand how mTBI promotes stroke vulnerability in both males and females. ⋯ Importantly, mTBI-induced changes in blood-brain barrier permeability, intravascular coagulation, angiogenic factors, total vascular area, and glial expression were differentially altered across time and by sex. Taken together, these data suggest that mTBI can result in persistent cerebrovascular dysfunction and increased susceptibility to worsened ischemic outcomes, although these dysfunctions occur differently in male and female mice.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2023
ReviewNeuromodulation therapies in pre-clinical models of traumatic brain injury: Systematic review and translational applications.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been associated with several lasting impairments that affect quality of life. Pre-clinical models of TBI have been studied to further our understanding of the underlying short-term and long-term symptomatology. Neuromodulation techniques have become of great interest in recent years as potential rehabilitative therapies after injury because of their capacity to alter neuronal activity and neural circuits in targeted brain regions. ⋯ These studies showed that tDCS, TMS, DBS, or VNS delivered to rodents restored TBI-induced deficits in coordination, balance, locomotor activity and improved cognitive impairments in memory, learning, and impulsivity. Potential mechanisms for these effects included neuroprotection, a decrease in apoptosis, neuroplasticity, and the restoration of neural circuit abnormalities. The translational value, potential applicability, and the interpretation of these findings in light of outcome data from clinical trials in patients with TBI are discussed.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2023
Serum Tau, NFL, GFAP and UHCL-1 are Associated with the Chronic Deterioration of Neurobehavioral Symptoms following Traumatic Brain Injury.
The purpose of this study was to examine the association of serum tau, neurofilament light chain (NFL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL-1) concentrations evaluated within the first 12 months after a military-related TBI, with longitudinal changes in neurobehavioral functioning extending two or more years post-injury. Participants were 84 United States service members and veterans (SMVs) prospectively enrolled in the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center of Excellence/Traumatic Brain Injury Center 15-Year Longitudinal TBI Study, separated into three discreet groups: (a) uncomplicated mild TBI (MTBI; n = 28), (b) complicated mild, moderate, severe, and penetrating TBI combined (STBI; n = 29], and (c) non-injured controls (NIC, n = 27). Participants completed a battery of self-report neurobehavioral symptom measures (e.g., depression, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], post-concussion, anxiety, somatic, cognitive, and neurological symptoms) within 12 months of injury (baseline), and then again at two or more years post-injury (follow-up). ⋯ In the NIC group, no meaningful associations were found between baseline biomarker concentrations and the deterioration of neurobehavioral symptoms on the majority of measures. This study reports that elevated tau, NFL, GFAP, and UCHL-1 concentrations within the first 12 months of injury are associated with the deterioration of neurobehavioral symptoms that extends to the chronic phase of recovery after a TBI. These findings suggest that a blood-based panel including these biomarkers could be a useful prognostic tool to identifying those individuals at risk of poor future outcome after TBI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2023
Trends in Neurotrauma Epidemiology, Management, and Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kigali, Rwanda.
National regulations to curb the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission and health care resource reallocation may have impacted incidence and treatment for neurotrauma, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal trauma, but these trends have not been characterized in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study analyzes differences in epidemiology, management, and outcomes preceding and during the COVID-19 pandemic for neurotrauma patients in a Rwandan tertiary hospital. The study setting was the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (CHUK), Rwanda's national referral hospital. ⋯ Craniotomy rates doubled during the pandemic period (25.7% vs. 13.7%, p = 0.003), but mortality was unchanged (5.5% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.944). Neurotrauma volume remained unchanged at CHUK during the COVID-19 pandemic, but presenting patients had higher injury acuity and craniotomy rates. These findings may inform care during pandemic conditions in Rwanda and similar settings.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2023
Multicenter StudyDevelopment and external validation of a machine learning model for the early prediction of doses of harmful intracranial pressure in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
Treatment and prevention of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) is crucial in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Elevated ICP is associated with secondary brain injury, and both intensity and duration of an episode of intracranial hypertension, often referred to as "ICP dose," are associated with worse outcomes. Prediction of such harmful episodes of ICP dose could allow for a more proactive and preventive management of TBI, with potential implications on patients' outcomes. ⋯ The external validation of the prediction model on the CENTER-TBI dataset demonstrated good discrimination and calibration (area under the curve: 0.94, accuracy: 0.89, precision: 0.87, sensitivity: 0.78, specificity: 0.94, calibration-in-the-large: 0.03, calibration slope: 0.93). The proposed prediction model provides accurate and timely predictions of harmful doses of ICP on the development and external validation dataset. A future interventional study is needed to assess whether early intervention on the basis of ICP dose predictions will result in improved outcomes.