Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Nov 2018
Variation in Candidate Traumatic Brain Injury Biomarker Genes Are Associated with Gross Neurological Outcomes after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.
Diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are actively being pursued; potential candidates include glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B), and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1), two of which the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved for marketing of blood tests for adult concussion. The relationship between biomarker-encoding genes and TBI outcomes remains unknown. This pilot study explores variation in 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in biomarker-encoding genes as predictors of neurological outcome in a population of adults with severe TBI. ⋯ Possession of the variant allele of one S100B SNP (rs1051169) was associated with higher scores on the GOS at 3 months (OR = 0.39; p = 0.04), 6 months (OR = 0.34; p = 0.02), 12 months (OR = 0.32; p = 0.02), and 24 months (OR = 0.30; p = 0.02) post-severe TBI. The relationship among these polymorphisms, protein levels, and biomarker utility, merits examination. These findings represent a novel contribution to the evidence that can inform future studies aimed at enhancing interpretation of biomarker data, identifying novel biomarkers, and ultimately harnessing this information to improve clinical outcomes and personalize care.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Nov 2018
Serum Metabolites Associated with Computed Tomography Findings after Traumatic Brain Injury.
There is a need to rapidly detect patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who require head computed tomography (CT). Given the energy crisis in the brain following TBI, we hypothesized that serum metabolomics would be a useful tool for developing a set of biomarkers to determine the need for CT and to distinguish among different types of injuries observed. Logistical regression models using metabolite data from the discovery cohort (n = 144, Turku, Finland) were used to distinguish between patients with traumatic intracranial findings and those with negative findings on head CT. ⋯ This study identifies a set of validated serum polar metabolites, which associate with the need for a CT scan. Additionally, serum metabolites can also predict the nature of the brain injury. These metabolite markers may prevent unnecessary CT scans, thus reducing the cost of diagnostics and radiation load.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Nov 2018
Neuroimaging Radiological Interpretation System for Acute Traumatic Brain Injury.
The purpose of the study was to develop an outcome-based NeuroImaging Radiological Interpretation System (NIRIS) for patients with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) that would standardize the interpretation of noncontrast head computer tomography (CT) scans and consolidate imaging findings into ordinal severity categories that would inform specific patient management actions and that could be used as a clinical decision support tool. We retrospectively identified all patients transported to our emergency department by ambulance or helicopter for whom a trauma alert was triggered per established criteria and who underwent a noncontrast head CT because of suspicion of TBI, between November 2015 and April 2016. Two neuroradiologists reviewed the noncontrast head CTs and assessed the TBI imaging common data elements (CDEs), as defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ⋯ NIRIS performed similarly to the Marshall and Rotterdam scoring systems in terms of predicting death. We developed an interpretation system for neuroimaging using the CDEs that informs specific patient management actions and could be used as a clinical decision support tool for patients with TBI. Our NIRIS classification, with evidence-based grouping of the CDEs into actionable categories, will need to be validated in different TBI populations.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Nov 2018
Detection of Hyperexcitability by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging after Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury.
Diagnosis of ongoing epileptogenesis and associated hyperexcitability after brain injury is a major challenge. Given that increased neuronal activity in the brain triggers a blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) response in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we hypothesized that fMRI could be used to identify the brain area(s) with hyperexcitability during post-injury epileptogenesis. We applied fMRI to detect onset and spread of BOLD activation after pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures (PTZ, 30 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) in 16 adult male rats at 2 months after lateral fluid percussion (FPI)-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ In the group of rats with ipsilateral onset of PTZ-induced BOLD activation, none of the rats showed a robust bilateral thalamic BOLD response, only 1 of 5 rats had robust ipsilateral thalamic calcifications, and 4 of 5 rats had perilesional astrocytosis. These findings suggest the evolution of the epileptogenic zone in the perilesional cortex after TBI, which is sensitive to PTZ-induced hyperexcitability. Further studies are warranted to explore the evolution of thalamo-cortical pathology as a driver of epileptogenesis after lateral FPI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Nov 2018
ReviewSleep, Sleep Disorders, and Circadian Health following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Adults: Review and Research Agenda.
A rapidly expanding scientific literature supports the frequent co-occurrence of sleep and circadian disturbances following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Although many questions remain unanswered, the preponderance of evidence suggests that sleep and circadian disorders can result from mTBI. Among those with mTBI, sleep disturbances and clinical sleep and circadian disorders contribute to the morbidity and long-term sequelae across domains of functional outcomes and quality of life. ⋯ Further, sleep and mTBI share neurophysiologic and neuroanatomic mechanisms that likely bear directly on success of rehabilitation following mTBI. For these reasons, focus on disturbed sleep as a modifiable treatment target has high likelihood of improving outcomes in mTBI. Here, we review relevant literature and present a research agenda to 1) advance understanding of the reciprocal relationships between sleep and circadian factors and mTBI sequelae and 2) advance rapidly the development of sleep-related treatments in this population.