Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Oct 2014
Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury Alters Ethanol Consumption and Sensitivity.
Altered alcohol consumption patterns after traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to significant impairments in TBI recovery. Few preclinical models have been used to examine alcohol use across distinct phases of the post-injury period, leaving mechanistic questions unanswered. To address this, the aim of this study was to describe the histological and behavioral outcomes of a noncontusive closed-head TBI in the mouse, after which sensitivity to and consumption of alcohol were quantified, in addition to dopaminergic signaling markers. ⋯ Intake across 7 days of consumption was significantly reduced in TBI mice compared with sham controls, paralleling the reduction in alcohol consumption observed clinically in the initial post-injury period. These data demonstrate that TBI increases sensitivity to ethanol-induced sedation and affects downstream signaling mediators of striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission while altering ethanol consumption. Examining TBI effects on ethanol responsitivity will improve our understanding of alcohol use post-TBI in humans.
-
Hairy and enhancer of split 1 (Hes1), a downstream target of Notch signaling, has long been recognized as crucial in inhibiting neuronal differentiation. However, the role of Hes1 following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adult neurogenesis in the mouse dentate gyrus (DG) remains partially understood. Here, we investigate the role of Hes1 in regulating neurogenesis in the DG of the adult hippocampus after TBI by up- or downregulating Hes1 expression. ⋯ Second, downregulation of Hes1 via RNA interference (RNAi) results in a significant increase in neuronal production and promotes the differentiation of NPCs into mature neurons in the DG, as assessed by BrdU and NeuN double staining. Furthermore, a Morris water maze (MWM) test clearly confirmed that the knockdown of Hes1 improves the spatial learning and memory capacity of adult mice following injury. Taken together, these observations suggest that Hes1 represents a negative regulator of adult neurogenesis post-TBI and that the precise space-time regulation of Hes1 expression in the DG may promote the recovery of neural function following TBI.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2014
Multicenter StudyThe epidemiology of spontaneous fever and hypothermia on admission of brain injury patients to intensive care units: a multicenter cohort study.
Fever and hypothermia (dysthermia) are associated with poor outcomes in patients with brain injuries. The authors sought to study the epidemiology of dysthermia on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and the effect on in-hospital case fatality in a mixed cohort of patients with brain injuries. ⋯ Fever is frequently encountered in the acute phase of brain injury, and a small proportion of patients with brain injuries may also develop spontaneous hypothermia. The effect of fever on mortality rates differed by neurological diagnosis. Both early spontaneous fever and hypothermia conferred a higher risk of in-hospital death after brain injury.
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Oct 2014
Elevated cell-free plasma DNA level as an independent predictor of mortality in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
Trauma is the leading cause of death in individuals less than 45 years old worldwide, and up to 50% of trauma fatalities are because of brain injury. Prediction of outcome is one of the major problems associated with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), and research efforts have focused on the investigation of biomarkers with prognostic value after TBI. Therefore, our aim was to investigate whether cell-free DNA concentrations correlated to short-term primary outcome (survival or death) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores after severe TBI. ⋯ Plasma DNA concentrations at the chosen cutoff point (≥171,381 kilogenomes-equivalents/L) predicted mortality with a specificity of 90% and a sensitivity of 43%. Logistic regression analysis showed that elevated plasma DNA levels were independently associated with death (p<0.001). In conclusion, high cell-free DNA concentration was a predictor of short-term mortality after severe TBI.
-
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health concern in industrialised countries. Sleep and wake disturbances are among the most persistent and disabling sequelae after TBI. Yet, despite the widespread complaints of post-TBI sleep and wake disturbances, studies on their etiology, pathophysiology, and treatments remain inconclusive. ⋯ A second goal is to outline the various causes of post-TBI sleep-wake disturbances. Globally, although sleep-wake complaints are reported in all studies and across all levels of severity, consensus regarding the objective nature of these disturbances is not unanimous and varies widely across studies. In order to optimise recovery in TBI survivors, further studies are required to shed light on the complexity and heterogeneity of post-TBI sleep and wake disturbances, and to fully grasp the best timing and approach for intervention.