Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2013
Comparative StudySimilarities and differences of acute nonconvulsive seizures and other epileptic activities following penetrating and ischemic brain injuries in rats.
The similarities and differences between acute nonconvulsive seizures (NCS) and other epileptic events, for example, periodic epileptiform discharges (PED) and intermittent rhythmic delta activities (IRDA), were characterized in rat models of penetrating and ischemic brain injuries. The NCS were spontaneously induced by either unilateral frontal penetrating ballistic-like brain injury (PBBI) or permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO), and were detected by continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring begun immediately after the injury and continued for 72 h or 24 h, respectively. Analysis of NCS profiles (incidence, frequency, duration, and time distribution) revealed a high NCS incidence in both injury models. ⋯ By contrast, the IRDA appeared to be independent of other epileptic events. This study provided comprehensive comparisons of post-traumatic and post-ischemic epileptic profiles. The identification of the similarities and differences across a broad spectrum of epileptic events may lead to differential strategies for post-traumatic and post-stroke seizure interventions.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2013
S100B is an important outcome predictor in traumatic brain injury.
The objective of the study was to examine how S100B, a biomarker of traumatic brain injury (TBI), contributes to outcome prediction after adjusting for known parameters, including age, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), pupil reaction, and computed tomography (CT) variables; to examine which parameters have the best correlation to elevated serum levels of S100B; and to investigate when to sample S100B to achieve the strongest association to outcome. This retrospective study included 265 patients with TBI admitted to the neurointensive care unit, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Stockholm, Sweden. Univariate and multivariate proportional odds regressions were performed to determine parameters most closely related to outcome, and how S100B adds to prediction accuracy. ⋯ S100B adds substantial information regarding patient outcome, in excess of that provided by known parameters. Only CT variables were found to be significant predictors of increased levels of S100B in uni- and multivariate analysis. Early samples of S100B, within 12 h after trauma, appear to have little prognostic value, and S100B should likely be sampled 12-36 h following trauma to best enhance TBI outcome prediction.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2013
Behavioral deficits and axonal injury persistence after rotational head injury are direction dependent.
Pigs continue to grow in importance as a tool in neuroscience. However, behavioral tests that have been validated in the rodent model do not translate well to pigs because of their very different responses to behavioral stimuli. We refined metrics for assessing porcine open field behavior to detect a wide spectrum of clinically relevant behaviors in the piglet post-traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ Acute behavioral outcomes post-TBI showed a dependence on the rotational plane of the brain injury, with animals with sagittal injuries demonstrating a greater level of inactivity and less random usage of the open field space than those with axial injuries. The persistence of axonal injury is also dependent on the rotational plane, with sagittal rotations causing more prolonged injuries than axial rotations. These results are consistent with animal studies, finite element models, and studies of concussions in football, which have all demonstrated differences in injury severity depending upon the direction of head impact rotation.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2013
Acute traumatic brain injury: is current management evidence based? An empirical analysis of systematic reviews.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health and socioeconomic problem worldwide with a high rate of death and long-term disability. Previous studies have summarized evidence from large-scale randomized trials, finding no intervention showing convincing efficacy for acute TBI management. The present empirical study set out to assess another crucial component of evidence base-systematic review, which contributes a lot to evidence-based health care, in terms of clinical issues, methodological aspects, and implication for practice and research. ⋯ Based on the above findings, evidence from both systematic reviews and clinical trials does not fully support current management of acute TBI. Translating from laboratory success to clinical effect remains an unique challenge. Accordingly it may be the time to rethink the way in future practice and clinical research in TBI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Apr 2013
Donepezil is ineffective in promoting motor and cognitive benefits after controlled cortical impact injury in male rats.
The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor donepezil is used as a therapy for Alzheimer's disease and has been recommended as a treatment for enhancing attention and memory after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although select clinical case studies support the use of donepezil for enhancing cognition, there is a paucity of experimental TBI studies assessing the potential efficacy of this pharmacotherapy. Hence, the aim of this pre-clinical study was to evaluate several doses of donepezil to determine its effect on functional outcome after TBI. ⋯ Moreover, the two highest doses significantly impaired beam-balance (3.0 mg/kg), beam-walk (2.0 mg/kg and 3.0 mg/kg), and cognitive performance (3.0 mg/kg) versus vehicle. These data indicate that chronic administration of donepezil is not only ineffective in promoting functional improvement after moderate CCI injury, but depending on the dose is actually detrimental to the recovery process. Further work is necessary to determine if other AChE inhibitors exert similar effects after TBI.