Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2018
Correlation of Concussion Symptom Profile with Head Impact Biomechanics: A Case for Individual-Specific Injury Tolerance.
Concussion is a brain injury induced by biomechanical forces that is broadly defined as a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain. The intricate link between biomechanical input and concussion injury response is poorly understood. We aimed to test the hypothesis that greater biomechanical forces would result in the presentation of more concussion-related symptoms that would take longer to resolve. ⋯ While concussive impacts did not stand out relative to impacts that did not result in injury, concussive impacts were among the most severe for each individual player. This suggests tolerance to head acceleration might be individual-specific, meaning similar biomechanical inputs can produce different injury presentations between individuals. Future investigations should consider individual-specific analyses of tolerance to head acceleration and injury response.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2018
Sex Differences in Thermal, Stress, and Inflammatory Responses to Minocycline Administration in Rats with Traumatic Brain Injury.
Persistent inflammation, mediated in part by increases in cytokines, is a hallmark of traumatlc brain injury (TBI). Minocycline has been shown to inhibit post-TBI neuroinflammation in male rats and mice, but has not been tested in females. Here, we studied sex differences in thermal, stress, and inflammatory responses to TBI and minocycline. ⋯ In females, but not males, hippocampal IL-6 content increased post-CCI compared with sham-injured controls, whereas IL-1β content was augmented by minocycline. Hippocampal TNF-α was unaffected by CCI and minocycline. These results demonstrate sex differences in immediate thermal and long-lasting stress and cytokine responses to CCI, and only short-term protective effects of minocycline on hyperthermia.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2018
Meta AnalysisPrognostic value of S-100ß protein for prediction of post-concussion symptoms following a mild traumatic brain injury: systematic review and meta-analysis.
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the prognostic value of S-100β protein to identify patients with post-concussion symptoms after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). A search strategy was submitted to seven databases from their inception to October 2016. Individual patient data were requested. ⋯ Overall risk of bias was considered moderate. Results suggest that the prognostic biomarker S-100β protein has a low clinical value to identify patients at risk of persistent post-concussion symptoms. Variability in injury to S-100ß protein sample time, mTBI populations, and outcomes assessed could potentially explain the lack of association and needs further evaluation.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2018
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: a Systematic Review.
There has been no major advancement in a quarter of a century for the treatment of acute severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This review summarizes 40 years of clinical and pre-clinical research on the treatment of acute TBI with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO2) in the context of an impending National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke-funded, multi-center, randomized, adaptive Phase II clinical trial -the Hyperbaric Oxygen Brain Injury Treatment (HOBIT) trial. Thirty studies (eight clinical and 22 pre-clinical) that administered HBO2 within 30 days of a TBI were identified from PubMed searches. ⋯ These studies provided evidence that HBO2 significantly improves physiologic measures without causing cerebral or pulmonary toxicity and can potentially improve clinical outcome. These results were consistent across the other four reviewed clinical studies, thus providing preliminary clinical data supporting the HOBIT trial. This comprehensive review demonstrates that HBO2 has the potential to be the first significant treatment in the acute phase of severe TBI.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2018
Longitudinal improvement in Balance Error Scoring System scores among NCAA Division-I football athletes.
The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) is a commonly used concussion assessment tool. Recent studies have questioned the stability and reliability of baseline BESS scores. The purpose of this longitudinal prospective cohort study is to examine differences in yearly baseline BESS scores in athletes participating on an NCAA Division-I football team. ⋯ After 1 year of participation, there is a statistically and clinically significant improvement in BESS scores in an NCAA Division-I football program. Although additional improvement in BESS scores was noted after a second year of participation, it did not reach statistical significance. Football athletes should undergo baseline BESS testing at least yearly if the BESS is to be optimally useful as a diagnostic test for concussion.