Journal of neurotrauma
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2012
ReviewThe essential role of psychosocial risk and protective factors in pediatric traumatic brain injury research.
This article builds upon Traumatic Brain Injury Common Data Elements (TBI CDE) version 1.0 and the pediatric CDE Initiative by emphasizing the essential role of psychosocial risk and protective factors in pediatric TBI research. The goals are to provide a compelling rationale for including psychosocial risk and protective factors in addition to socioeconomic status (SES), age, and sex in the study design and analyses of pediatric TBI research and to describe recommendations for core common data elements in this domain. Risk and protective factor research is based on the ecological theory of child development in which children develop through a series of interactions with their immediate and more distant environments. ⋯ It is likely that the number, type, and interaction among risk and protective factors each contribute unique variance to study outcomes. Longitudinal designs in TBI research will be essential to understanding the reciprocal relationships between risk/protective factors and the recovery/outcome made by the child. The search for effective interventions to hasten TBI recovery mandates the need to target modifiable risks and to promote protective factors in the child's environment.
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2012
ReviewCommon data elements for neuroimaging of traumatic brain injury: pediatric considerations.
As part of the Traumatic Brain Injury Common Data Elements project, a large-scale effort to define common data elements across a variety of domains, including neuroimaging, special considerations for pediatric patients were introduced. This article is an extension of that initial work, in which pediatric-specific pathoanatomical entities, technical considerations, interpretation paradigms, and safety considerations were reviewed. The goal of this review was to outline differences and specific information relevant to optimal performance and proper interpretation of neuroimaging in pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury. The long-range goal of this project is to facilitate data sharing as well as to provide critical infrastructure for potential clinical trials in this major public health area.
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2012
ReviewEmerging imaging tools for use with traumatic brain injury research.
This article identifies emerging neuroimaging measures considered by the inter-agency Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Neuroimaging Workgroup. This article attempts to address some of the potential uses of more advanced forms of imaging in TBI as well as highlight some of the current considerations and unresolved challenges of using them. ⋯ However, we also include brief introductions to other specialized forms of advanced imaging that currently do require specialized equipment, for example, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), encephalography (EEG), and magnetoencephalography (MEG)/magnetic source imaging (MSI). Finally, we identify some of the challenges that users of the emerging imaging CDEs may wish to consider, including quality control, performing multi-site and longitudinal imaging studies, and MR scanning in infants and children.
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2012
Practice Guideline GuidelineCommon data elements for pediatric traumatic brain injury: recommendations from the biospecimens and biomarkers workgroup.
Biospecimens represent a critically important resource in pediatric brain injury research. Data from these specimens can be used to identify and classify injury, understand the molecular mechanisms underlying different types of brain injury, and ultimately identify therapeutic targets to tailor treatments for individual patient needs. To realize the full potential of biospecimens in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), standardization and adoption of best practice guidelines are needed to ensure the quality and consistency of specimens. ⋯ These recommendations represent expert opinion on this subject. The authors of this article were members of the Biospecimens Workgroup. We hope that with adoption of these best practices, future investigators will be able to obtain biospecimens in a consistent way that meets the needs of pediatric patients, and helps to accelerate acquisition of pediatric-specific biomarker data.
-
Journal of neurotrauma · Mar 2012
GuidelineCommon data elements for pediatric traumatic brain injury: recommendations from the working group on demographics and clinical assessment.
The Common Data Elements (CDEs) initiative is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) interagency effort to standardize naming, definitions, and data structure for clinical research variables. Comparisons of the results of clinical studies of neurological disorders have been hampered by variability in data coding, definitions, and procedures for sample collection. The CDE project objective is to enable comparison of future clinical trials results in major neurological disorders, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy. ⋯ For consistency with other CDE working groups, each variable was classified by priority (core, supplemental, and emerging). Templates were produced to summarize coding formats, guide selection of data points, and provide procedural recommendations. This proposed standardization, together with the products of the other pediatric TBI working groups in imaging, biomarkers, and outcome assessment, will facilitate multi-center studies, comparison of results across studies, and high-quality meta-analyses of individual patient data.