Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
-
J Int Neuropsychol Soc · Jan 2017
Neuropsychological Profile of Lifetime Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Veterans.
The aim of this study was to characterize the neuropsychological profile of lifetime traumatic brain injury (TBI) in older Veterans. ⋯ The neuropsychological profile of lifetime TBI in older Veterans is characterized by slowed processing speed and executive dysfunction, especially among those with greater injury burden. This pattern may reflect long-standing deficits or a TBI-associated cognitive decline process distinct from Alzheimer's disease. (JINS, 2017, 23, 56-64).
-
Decompressive surgery to reduce pressure under the skull varies from a burrhole, bone flap to removal of a large skull segment. Decompressive craniectomy is the removal of a large enough segment of skull to reduce refractory intracranial pressure and to maintain cerebral compliance for the purpose of preventing neurologic deterioration. Decompressive hemicraniectomy and bifrontal craniectomy are the most commonly performed procedures. ⋯ The ethical predicament of deciding to go ahead with a major neurosurgical procedure with the purpose of avoiding brain death from displacement, but resulting in prolonged severe disability in many, are addressed. This chapter describes indications, surgical techniques, and complications. It reviews results of recent clinical trials and provides a reasonable assessment for practice.
-
Cell. Physiol. Biochem. · Jan 2017
Induction of the Vitamin D Receptor Attenuates Autophagy Dysfunction-Mediated Cell Death Following Traumatic Brain Injury.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem in the world and causes high rates of mortality and disability. Recent evidence suggests that vitamin D (VD) has neuroprotective actions and can promote function recovery after TBI. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that autophagy could be enhanced following supplementation with an active metabolite of VD (calcitriol). However, it is unclear whether autophagy participates in the protective effects of calcitriol after TBI. To test this hypothesis, we examined the protective effects of calcitriol on TBI-induced neurological impairment and further investigated whether calcitriol could modulate autophagy dysfunction-mediated cell death in the cortex region of rat brain. ⋯ Calcitriol treatment activated VDR protein expression and attenuated neurological deficits in this rat TBI model. The protective effects might be associated with the restoration of autophagy flux and the decrease in apoptosis in the cortex region of rat brain.
-
NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2017
DTI measures identify mild and moderate TBI cases among patients with complex health problems: A receiver operating characteristic analysis of U.S. veterans.
Standard MRI methods are often inadequate for identifying mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Advances in diffusion tensor imaging now provide potential biomarkers of TBI among white matter fascicles (tracts). However, it is still unclear which tracts are most pertinent to TBI diagnosis. ⋯ Like ROC, logistic regression identified LCG as most predictive for the FA measure but identified the right anterior thalamic tract (RAT) for the MD, RD, and AD measures. These findings are potentially relevant to the development of TBI biomarkers. Our methods also demonstrate how ROC analysis may be used to identify clinically relevant variables in the TBI population.
-
Encephalocele is a rare condition that consists of herniation of cerebral matter through openings of dura and skull. A majority of encephaloceles are congenital and manifest in childhood. ⋯ Surgical treatment with reduction of the encephalocele achieved near resolution of preoperative hemiparesis on follow-up. The pathogenesis and a literature review of IE are discussed.