Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jan 2024
The CARE4Kids Study: Endophenotypes of Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms in Adolescents - Study Rationale and Protocol.
Treatment of youth concussion during the acute phase continues to evolve, and this has led to the emergence of guidelines to direct care. While symptoms after concussion typically resolve in 14-28 days, a portion (∼20%) of adolescents endorse persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) beyond normal resolution. ⋯ The most promising of these measures will then be validated in a separate Validation cohort of youth with concussion, and a final, clinically useful algorithm will be developed and disseminated. Upon completion of this study, we will have generated a battery of measures predictive of high risk for PPCS, which will allow for identification and testing of interventions to prevent PPCS in the most high-risk youth.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jan 2024
Evidence of ongoing cerebral microstructural reorganization in children with persisting symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury: a NODDI DTI analysis.
Approximately 300-550 children per 100,000 sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) each year, of whom ∼25-30% have long-term cognitive problems. Following mTBI, free water (FW) accumulation occurs in white matter (WM) tracts. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can be used to investigate structural integrity following mTBI. ⋯ WM ODI at 1 month was a more sensitive predictor of clinical recovery at 2-3 months post-injury than FA, FISO, or clinical measures alone. Our results show evidence of ongoing microstructural reorganization or neuroinflammation between 1 and 2-3 months post-injury, further supporting delayed return to play in children who remain symptomatic. We recommend future research examining the clinical utility of NODDI following mTBI to predict recovery or persistence of post-concussion symptoms and thereby inform management of mTBI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jan 2024
Long-term follow-up of critically ill traumatic brain injury patients: from intensive care parameters to patient and caregiver-reported outcome.
Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with a high social and financial burden due to persisting (severe) disabilities. The consequences of TBI after intensive care unit (ICU) admission are generally measured with global disability screeners such as the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE), which may lack precision. To improve outcome measurement after brain injury, a comprehensive clinical outcome assessment tool called the Minimal Dataset for Acquired Brain Injury (MDS-ABI) was recently developed. ⋯ All but four patients lived at home independently, often together with their informal caregiver (81%). Although the mild-moderate TBI group and the severe TBI group had significantly different clinical trajectories, there were no persisting differences between the groups for patient or caregiver outcomes at follow-up. As a large proportion of the patients experienced long-lasting consequences beyond global disability or independent living, clinicians should implement a multi-domain outcome set such as the MDS-AB to follow up on their patients.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jan 2024
TAU phosphorylation patterns in the rat cerebral cortex after traumatic brain injury and sodium selenate effects: An EpiBioS4Rx Project 2 study.
Sodium selenate (SS) activates protein phosphatase 2 (PP2A) and reduces phosphorylated tau (pTAU) and late post-traumatic seizures after lateral fluid percussion injury (LFPI). In EpiBioS4Rx Project 2, a multi-center international study for post-traumatic targets, biomarkers, and treatments, we tested the target relevance and modification by SS of pTAU forms and PP2A and in the LFPI model, at two sites: Einstein and Melbourne. In Experiment 1, adult male rats were assigned to LFPI and sham (both sites) and naïve controls (Einstein). ⋯ SS dose dependently increased plasma selenium and SS levels. Concordant across-sites data confirm time and pTAU form-specific cortical increases ipsilateral to LFPI. The discordant SS effects may either suggest SS-induced reduction in the numbers of cells with increased pTAU-ir, need for longer treatment, or the involvement of other mechanisms of action.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jan 2024
Autonomic cardioregulatory function does not correlate with symptom improvement following concussion in children and adolescents.
Although there is significant variability in the manifestations of persisting post-concussive symptoms (PPCS), autonomic dysfunction has been reported to contribute to PPCS and could serve as a biomarker of recovery. The objective of this study was to evaluate cardiac autonomic reflexes and autonomic function after concussion injury comparing those with prolonged concussion symptoms to those without. This is a case-control study where a non-referred population of concussed children or adolescent participants were enrolled from the Emergency Department (ED) of the Stollery Children's Hospital, a tertiary pediatric hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. ⋯ Similar results were observed at 12-week follow-up. In conclusion, cardiac autonomic reflex responses are abnormal in most children and adolescents with a concussion injury at 4- and 12-week follow-up and may reflect ongoing autonomic dysfunction. However, autonomic function did not differentiate PPCS, indicating that reported symptoms are not sensitive to autonomic abnormalities.