Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Aug 2024
Interpreting Change in Disorders of Consciousness using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised.
The purpose of this study was to differentiate clinically meaningful improvement or deterioration from normal fluctuations in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) following severe brain injury. We computed indices of responsiveness for the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) using data from a clinical trial of 180 participants with DoC. We used CRS-R scores from baseline (enrollment in a clinical trial) and a 4-week follow-up assessment period for these calculations. ⋯ CRS-R indices of responsiveness can support clinicians and researchers in discerning when behavioral changes in patients with DoC exceed measurement error. Notably, the minimal detectable change can support the detection of patients who make a "true" change within or across states of consciousness. Our findings highlight that the continued use of ordinal scores may result in incorrect inferences about the degree and relevance of a change score.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Aug 2024
Cannabidiol alleviates neurological deficits after traumatic brain injury by improving intracranial lymphatic drainage.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) persists as a substantial clinical dilemma, largely because of the absence of effective treatments. This challenge is exacerbated by the hindered clearance of intracranial metabolic byproducts and the continual accrual of deleterious proteins. The glymphatic system (GS) and meningeal lymphatic vessels (MLVs), key elements of the intracranial lymphatic network, play critical roles in the clearance of harmful substances. ⋯ A pivotal discovery was that the surgical interruption of efferent lymphatic conduits in the neck nullified CBD's positive contributions to intracranial waste disposal and cognitive improvement, yet the anti-neuroinflammatory actions remained unaffected. These insights suggest that CBD may enhance intracranial metabolite clearance, potentially via the regulation of the intracranial lymphatic system, thereby offering neurofunctional prognostic improvement in TBI models. Our findings underscore the potential therapeutic applicability of CBD in TBI interventions, necessitating further comprehensive investigations and clinical validations to substantiate these initial conclusions.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jul 2024
A Transdiagnostic, Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology Following Traumatic Brain Injury (HiTOP-TBI).
Psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, is a significant yet inadequately addressed feature of moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Progress in understanding and treating post-TBI psychopathology may be hindered by limitations associated with conventional diagnostic approaches, specifically the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) offers a promising, transdiagnostic alternative to psychiatric classification that may more effectively capture the experiences of individuals with TBI. ⋯ The empirical structure of psychopathology after TBI largely aligned with the established HiTOP model (e.g., a detachment spectrum). However, these constructs need to be interpreted in relation to the unique experiences associated with TBI (e.g., considering the injury's impact on the person's social functioning). By overcoming the limitations of conventional diagnostic approaches, the HiTOP-TBI model has the potential to accelerate our understanding of the causes, correlates, consequences, and treatment of psychopathology after TBI.