Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Aug 2015
Traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage: Risk factors associated with progression.
The increase in the volume of a traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (TICH) is a widely studied phenomenon that has a direct impact on the prognosis of patients. The objective of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with the progression of TICH. We retrospectively analyzed the records of 1970 adult patients >15 years of age who were consecutively admitted after sustaining a closed severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) between January 1987 and November 2013 at a single center. ⋯ Factors independently associated with the growth of TICH obtained through logistic regression included the following: an initial volume <5 cc (odds ratio [OR] 2.42, p<0.001), cisternal compression (OR 1.95, p<0.001), decompressive craniectomy (OR 2.18, p<0.001), age (mean 37.67 vs. 42.95 years; OR 1.01, p<0.001), falls as mechanism of trauma (OR 1.72, p=0.001), multiple TICHs (OR 1.56, p=0.007), and hypoxia (OR 1.56, p=0.02). TICH progression occurred with a frequency of 63% in our study. We showed that there was a correlation between TICH growth and some variables, such as multiple TICHs, a lower initial volume, acute subdural hematoma, cisternal compression, older patient age, hypoxia, falls, and decompressive craniectomy.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Aug 2015
Procedures for the comparative testing of noninvasive neuroassessment devices.
A sequential process for comparison testing of noninvasive neuroassessment devices is presented. Comparison testing of devices in a clinical population should be preceded by computational research and reliability testing with healthy populations, as opposed to proceeding immediately to testing with clinical participants. A five-step process is outlined as follows: 1. Complete a preliminary literature review identifying candidate measures. 2. Conduct systematic simulation studies to determine the computational properties and data requirements of candidate measures. 3. Establish the test-retest reliability of each measure in a healthy comparison population and the clinical population of interest. 4. Investigate the clinical validity of reliable measures in appropriately defined clinical populations. 5. Complete device usability assessment (weight, simplicity of use, cost effectiveness, ruggedness) only for devices and measures that are promising after steps 1 through 4 are completed. Usability may be considered throughout the device evaluation process but such considerations are subordinate to the higher priorities addressed in steps 1 through 4.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Aug 2015
Neuronal DNA Methylation Profiling of Blast-related Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
Long-term molecular changes in the brain resulting from blast exposure may be mediated by epigenetic changes, such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation, that regulate gene expression. Aberrant regulation of gene expression is associated with behavioral abnormalities, where DNA methylation bridges environmental signals to sustained changes in gene expression. We assessed DNA methylation changes in the brains of rats exposed to three 74.5 kPa blast overpressure events, conditions that have been associated with long-term anxiogenic manifestations weeks or months following the initial exposures. ⋯ Functional validation via gene expression analysis of 30 differentially methylated neuronal and glial genes showed a 1.2 fold change in gene expression of the serotonin N-acetyltransferase gene (Aanat) in blast animals (p<0.05). These data provide the first genome-based evidence for changes in DNA methylation induced in response to multiple blast overpressure exposures. In particular, increased methylation and decreased gene expression were observed in the Aanat gene, which is involved in converting serotonin to the circadian hormone melatonin and is implicated in sleep disturbance and depression associated with traumatic brain injury.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Aug 2015
Neurotransmitter systems in a mild blast traumatic brain injury model: catecholamines and serotonin.
Exposure to improvised explosive devices can result in a unique form of traumatic brain injury--blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI). At the mild end of the spectrum (mild bTBI [mbTBI]), there are cognitive and mood disturbances. Similar symptoms have been observed in post-traumatic stress disorder caused by exposure to extreme psychological stress without physical injury. ⋯ Using in situ hybridization, we found elevated messenger ribonucleic acid levels of both tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase 2 in the locus coeruleus and the dorsal raphe nucleus, respectively, as early as 2 h post-exposure. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis 1 d post-exposure primarily showed elevated noradrenaline levels in several forebrain regions. Taken together, we report that exposure to mild blast results in transient changes in both anxiety-like behavior and brain region-specific molecular changes, implicating the monoaminergic system in the pathobiology of mbTBI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Aug 2015
Comparative StudyPatterns of Depression Treatment in Medicare Beneficiaries with Depression Following Traumatic Brain Injury.
There are no clinical guidelines addressing the management of depression after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The objectives of this study were to (1) describe depression treatment patterns among Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis of depression post-TBI; (2) compare them with depression treatment patterns among beneficiaries with a diagnosis of depression pre-TBI; and (3) quantify the difference in prevalence of use. We conducted a retrospective analysis of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with TBI during 2006-2010. ⋯ There was no difference in receipt of psychotherapy between the two groups (OR 1.08; 95% CI 0.93, 1.26). Depression after TBI is undertreated among older adults. Knowledge about reasons for this disparity and its long-term effects on post-TBI outcomes is limited and should be examined in future work.