Brain Injury

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to extend on previous research finding by investigating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and brain injury in children younger than 12 years old. METHODS: A total of 58,601 US children under 12 years old were included in the 2020-2021 National Survey of Children's Health, a self-reported national survey administered to caregivers. RESULTS: ACEs were significantly associated with increased risk for unconfirmed (χ2 (55891, 55904) = 141...

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we evaluated the psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21 items (DASS-21) in a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) sample. METHOD: Treatment-seeking adults ( n  = 347) were recruited from outpatient rehabilitation services in New Zealand. Dimensionality, reliability, person separation index, and differential item functioning (DIF) of the DASS-21 were examined using Rasch analysis. RESULTS: Initial analysis of the complete 21-item DASS showed poor overall fit due to problems with individual items...

PURPOSE: We conducted a proof-of-concept study to evaluate the effects of galantamine treatment versus placebo combined to cognitive rehabilitation (CR) after stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this 12-week, double blinded, randomized, controlled trial, patients were assigned to either combined approach of galantamine and CR (G-CR) or placebo and CR (P-CR). Primary outcome was the proportion of patients who crossed over from vascular cognitive disorder (VCD) to no-VCD at 12 weeks...

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate professional rugby players' self-reported perceived understanding of the head injury assessment (HIA) and return to play (RTP) processes and determine factors related to understanding and trust pertaining to these processes. METHODS: An electronic survey measured concepts of interest. A thematic analysis of player understanding was performed, and player statements were coded. RESULTS: 207 U.S. Major League Rugby (MLR) players participated (26...

BACKGROUND: Exercise training (ET) is a promising rehabilitation approach for long-term negative consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, little is known regarding overall rates of attrition, adherence, and compliance to ET in TBI. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review was to estimate average attrition, adherence, and compliance rates in ET studies in persons with TBI. METHODS: Databases were searched from inception to April 15, 2024...

BACKGROUND: Former professional collision sport (CS) athletes, particularly American football players, are at risk of developing chronic health conditions; however, little is known about the health outcomes of amateur athletes. METHODS: A 60-item health survey examined self-reported symptoms and diagnoses among former Division 1 Collegiate CS athletes and non- or limited-contact sport (non-CS) athletes. Binary logistic regressions tested the association between playing CS and health outcomes...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of early swallowing rehabilitation on safe oral feeding in dysphagia patients following traumatic brain injury. METHODS: Sixty-nine patients were divided into intervention and control groups, with the intervention group receiving swallowing rehabilitation therapy. The severity of swallowing disorders, cognitive function, and level of consciousness were assessed using the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA), Rancho Los Amigos (RLA), and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) before and after the intervention...

BACKGROUND: Much of the childhood stroke literature has not distinguished impacts for adolescents from those of younger children. Research has also focused on body impairments. With adolescence being a unique period, this scoping review aimed to identify the impacts of childhood stroke on activity, participation, and quality of life for adolescents 13-18 years, and identify how these impacts were determined. METHOD: This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR)...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention program (PIP) compared to standard attention in reducing caregiver burden after the intervention (at 4 months) and at follow-up (at 8 months). METHODS: A multicenter, evaluator-blind, randomized controlled trial. The experimental group received a PIP intervention consisting of 10 weekly group sessions, while the control group received standard attention. The primary outcome was measured as the change scores from baseline on the caregiver's burden (ZBI)...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to qualitatively appraise the available literature to evaluate the efficacy of circulatory systemic oxidative stress markers (OSMx) in determining the diagnosis and outcome of TBI. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted of PubMed/Medline, Embase and Google Scholar databases per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) for studies which employed serum or plasma OSMx analysis for diagnostic or prognostic purposes in patients with TBI...

BACKGROUND: Case management (CM) aims to facilitate access to and integration of health care and social services. We investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of CM. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial with 219 patients and 114 caregivers randomly allocated to CM (109/59) or care as usual (110/55). CM was based on early and continuous online monitoring of problems and needs. Outcomes were assessed every 6 months with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)...

IMPORTANCE: GAAB Syndrome was recently discovered and coined by Rodríguez, Azariah, Ritter, et al.. (2024). It is characterized by bifrontal brain injury, visual pathway damage involving bilateral enucleation, generalized and visual anosognosia and lack of emotional processing with visual anosognosia being more prominent in the clinical presentation of the patient given the context of bilateral enucleation. The syndrome was not explained by delirium nor by amnesia, not either by multiple shunt adjustments or psychological denial...

INTRODUCTION: Diagnosis, assessment, and management of sports-related concussion require a multi-modal approach. Yet, currently, an objective assessment of auditory processing is not included. The auditory system is uniquely complex, relying on exquisite temporal precision to integrate signals across many synapses, connected by long axons. Given this complexity and precision, together with the fact that axons are highly susceptible to damage from mechanical force, we hypothesize that auditory processing is susceptible to concussive injury...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify Dizziness-Related Disability (DRD) recovery trajectories in pediatric concussion and assess clinical predictors of disability groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 81 children (8-17 years) diagnosed with an acute concussion took part in 3 evaluation sessions (baseline, 3-month, and 6-month). All sessions included the primary disability outcome, the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) to create the DRD recovery trajectories using group-based multi-trajectory modeling analysis...

OBJECTIVES: To explore the rates and timing of a first follow-up visit for children and adolescents with a concussive injury and to identify factors associated with follow-up timing. METHODS: A descriptive, correlational design drawing on linked, population-based administrative data of concussed children and adolescents (ages 5-18 years) from the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Data were accessed through Population Data BC. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the data...

The Long-term Impact of Military-relevant Brain Injury Consortium-Military and Tactical Athlete Research Study (LIMBIC MATARS) program established in 2020 is comprised of 22 universities and health systems across the United States. The LIMBIC MATARS Consortium's goal is to increase understanding of the complexities of concussion in collegiate athletes by leveraging extant retrospective and novel prospective data sets through the application of innovative research designs. The manuscripts in this special issue represent findings from clinical data sets based on consensus-derived common data elements collected from the 2015-2016 to 2019-2020 sport seasons that include 1311 cases of collegiate athletes diagnosed with concussion...

BACKGROUND: Impaired self-awareness (ISA) is common in individuals with an acquired brain injury (ABI) and can lead to reduced awareness of one's difficulties. Previous reviews have found that ISA impacts on functional outcomes in rehabilitation. However, to date there has not been a systematic literature review which examines how ISA impacts on the process of rehabilitation in ABI populations. METHOD: A literature search was conducted using several databases in May 2024, including Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsycARTICLES and APA PsycINFO...

BACKGROUND: With the increasing cases of TBI cases in the elderly population taking anticoagulants for comorbidities, there is a need to better understand the safety of new anticoagulants and how to manage anticoagulated TBI patients. METHODS: A meta-analysis using a random-effect model was conducted to compare the effect of preinjury use of DOACs and VKAs on the outcomes following TBI. RESULTS: From 1951 studies, 49 studies with a total sample size of 15,180 met our inclusion criteria...

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of an innovative machine-learning-powered near-infrared spectroscopy (mNIRS)-based bio-optical sensitivity parameters, namely specific tissue optical index (STOI) and intracranial tissue optical index (ITOI) for effective triaging of patients with suspected traumatic brain injury (TBI) across different age-groups to facilitate timely intervention and curtail the silent epidemic. RESEARCH DESIGN: Prospective, observational, double-blinded, cross-sectional single-center...

OBJECTIVE: This study explores the relationship between PTSD symptoms and cognition in patients with persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS). METHODS: Adults with PPCS presenting to a specialized brain injury clinic provided demographic and injury information and completed the PTSD checklist for DSM-5, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to screen for possible cognitive concerns...