Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
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Arch Clin Neuropsychol · Jun 2014
Factors influencing postconcussion and posttraumatic stress symptom reporting following military-related concurrent polytrauma and traumatic brain injury.
The purpose of this study was to identify factors that are predictive of, or associated with, high endorsement of postconcussion and posttraumatic stress symptoms following military-related traumatic brain injury (TBI). Participants were 1,600 U. S. service members (age: M = 27.1, SD = 7.1; 95.4% male) who had sustained a mild-to-moderate TBI and who had been evaluated by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center at one of six military medical centers. ⋯ Depression alone accounted for the vast majority of unique variance (60.0%) and was strongly associated with, and predictive of, clinically elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms (OR = 38.78; RR = 4.63). There was a very clear, strong, and clinically meaningful association between depression, posttraumatic stress, and postconcussion symptoms in this sample. Brain injury severity, however, was not associated with symptom reporting following TBI.
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Disturbed sleep pattern is a common symptom after head trauma and its prevalence in acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) is less discussed. Sleep has a profound impact on cognitive function recovery and the mediating effect of disturbed sleep on cognitive function recovery has not been examined after acute TBI. ⋯ Poor sleep efficiency, prolonged periods of daytime sleep, and a high prevalence of hypersomnia are common symptoms in acute TBI patients. The duration of daytime sleep mediates the relationship between the severity of brain injury and the recovery of cognition function.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jun 2014
Long term trends and patterns of fatal traumatic brain injuries in the pediatric and adolescent population of Austria in 1980-2012: analysis of 33 years.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are of special concern in the pediatric and adolescent population because of high incidence, mortality, and potential years of life lost (PYLL). Knowledge on causes and mortality trends is essential for effective prevention. The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term trends and causes of TBI-related mortality between 1980 and 2012 in the pediatric and adolescent populations of Austria. ⋯ In the studied period, 295,793 PYLL could be attributed to TBIs. Measures to prevent traffic accidents contributed significantly to the decrease of mortality and PYLL, especially in 15- to 19-year-old men. Causes and trends of TBI-related mortality exhibit age-group-specific patterns, and this knowledge could contribute to planning further preventive action to reduce TBI fatalities in the studied population.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health concern. On average, 1.7 million persons sustain a TBI annually, and about 5.3 million Americans are living with a TBI-related disability. As the leading cause of death and disability in persons under 45 years old, there is a need for developing evidence-based interventions to reduce morbidity from this injury. ⋯ The cascade of molecular and cellular changes after TBI involves plasticity in many different neurochemical systems, which represent putative targets for neurotherapeutic interventions. Accordingly, a successful TBI treatment may have to simultaneously attenuate many injury factors. The purpose of this review is to highlight four promising nutritional intervention options that have been identified-omega-3, zinc, vitamin D, and glutamine-and to provide an up-to-date summary regarding their apparent efficacy for affecting TBI.
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Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) includes concussion, subconcussion, and most exposures to explosive blast from improvised explosive devices. mTBI is the most common traumatic brain injury affecting military personnel; however, it is the most difficult to diagnose and the least well understood. It is also recognized that some mTBIs have persistent, and sometimes progressive, long-term debilitating effects. Increasing evidence suggests that a single traumatic brain injury can produce long-term gray and white matter atrophy, precipitate or accelerate age-related neurodegeneration, and increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and motor neuron disease. ⋯ Pathologically, chronic traumatic encephalopathy produces atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes, thalamus, and hypothalamus; septal abnormalities; and abnormal deposits of hyperphosphorylated tau as neurofibrillary tangles and disordered neurites throughout the brain. The incidence and prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and the genetic risk factors critical to its development are currently unknown. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy has clinical and pathological features that overlap with postconcussion syndrome and posttraumatic stress disorder, suggesting that the three disorders might share some biological underpinnings.