Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2017
Cross-phenotype Polygenic Risk Score Analysis of Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms in U.S. Army Soldiers with Deployment-acquired Traumatic Brain Injury.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) contributes to the increased rates of suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder in military personnel and veterans, and it is also associated with the risk for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. A cross-phenotype high-resolution polygenic risk score (PRS) analysis of persistent post-concussive symptoms (PCS) was conducted in 845 U. S. ⋯ We observed a significant finding: subjects with high IHC PRS recovered better from cognitive/emotional persistent PCS than the other individuals (R2 = 1.11%; p = 3.37 × 10-3). Enrichment analysis identified two significant Gene Ontology (GO) terms related to this result: GO:0050839∼Cell adhesion molecule binding (p = 8.9 × 10-6) and GO:0050905∼Neuromuscular process (p = 9.8 × 10-5). In summary, our study indicated that the genetic predisposition to persistent PCS after TBI does not have substantial overlap with neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases, but mechanisms related to early brain growth may be involved.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2017
Differential Gene Expression Associated with Meningeal Injury in Acute Mild TBI.
Injury to the meninges is not uncommon after traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet minimal research has been directed toward understanding the relevant biology. After a concussive event, the meninges are observed to abnormally enhance on post-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in some patients, but not all. The aim of this work is to identify genes differentially expressed in patients with meningeal injury. ⋯ We observed 76 genes to be differentially expressed in patients with meningeal injury compared to those without, such as receptor for Fc fragment of IgA, multiple C2 domains, transmembrane 2, and G-protein-coupled receptor 27, which have been previously associated with initiating inflammatory mediators, phagocytosis, and other regulatory mechanisms. Post-contrast MRI is able to detect meningeal injury and has a unique biological signature observed through gene expression. These findings suggest that an acute inflammatory response occurs in response to injury to the meninges following a concussion.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2017
Football Players' Perceptions of Future Risk of Concussion and Concussion-Related Health Outcomes.
Concussion is increasingly recognized as a risk of participation in contact and collision sports. There have been few examinations of athletes' perceptions of their susceptibility to concussion or concussion-related health consequences. We examine college football players' perceptions of their risk of sustaining a concussion and concussion-related health consequences in their future, whether these perceptions change over time, and how concussion history is related to perceived future risk of concussion and concussion-related health consequences. ⋯ Overall, a substantial proportion of college football players believe they will have long-term health consequences as a result of sustaining sport-related concussions. The true incidence and prevalence of many of these outcomes are unknown. Further research is needed to determine whether athletes have an accurate perception of the risks of these outcomes developing.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2017
Brain structure and function associated with a history of sport concussion: a multi-modal MRI study.
There is growing concern about the potential long-term consequences of sport concussion for young, currently active athletes. However, there remains limited information about brain abnormalities associated with a history of concussion and how they relate to clinical factors. In this study, advanced MRI was used to comprehensively describe abnormalities in brain structure and function associated with a history of sport concussion. ⋯ White matter showed limited correlations with clinical factors, predominantly in the anterior corona radiata. This study provides the first evidence of the long-term effects of concussion on gray matter volume, blood flow, and white matter microstructure within a single athlete cohort. This was examined for a mixture of male and female athletes in both contact and noncontact sports, demonstrating the relevance of these findings for the overall sporting community.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Feb 2017
Apolipoprotein E Mimetic Peptide Increases Cerebral Glucose Uptake by Relieving Blood Brain Barrier Disruption Following Controlled Cortical Impact in Mice: An 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT Study.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) disrupts the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and reduces cerebral glucose uptake. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is believed to play a key role in TBI, and COG1410 has demonstrated neuroprotective activity in several models of TBI. However, the effects of COG1410 on VEGF and glucose metabolism following TBI are unknown. ⋯ The results showed that controlled cortical impact (CCI)-induced vestibulomotor deficits were accompanied by increases in brain edema and the expression of VEGF, with a decrease in cerebral glucose uptake. COG1410 treatment significantly improved vestibulomotor deficits and glucose uptake and produced decreases in VEGF in the pericontusion and ipsilateral hemisphere of injury, as well as in brain edema and neuronal degeneration compared with the control group. These data support that COG1410 may have potential as an effective drug therapy for TBI.