Race as a moderator of parent and family outcomes following pediatric traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVE: To use data from a prospective, longitudinal study to determine whether race moderates parent and family outcomes during the first year following pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBI). METHOD: Participants included 73 white and 18 black children with moderate to severe TBI and their families, and 32 white and 23 black children with orthopedic injuries only (OI) and their families. Assessments of parent and family functioning occurred shortly after injury (baseline) and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS: Race was a significant moderator of group differences in parental psychological distress and perceived family burden, by and large independent of socioeconomic status. The negative consequences of TBI were relatively less pronounced for parents of black children than for parents of white children at baseline, but became more pronounced at the two follow-ups. Black and white parents differed in preferred coping strategies, which may partially account for their different reactions to their children's injuries. CONCLUSIONS: The sociocultural factors associated with race may moderate the effects of pediatric TBI and OI on parents and families.     

早期认知干预对脑损伤综合征患儿智能发育的影响

目的探讨早期认知干预对脑损伤综合征患儿智力发育的影响。方法将80例脑损伤综合征患儿分为观察组45例和对照组35例,观察组患儿接受包括早期认知干预治疗的综合康复治疗,而对照组患儿仅接受常规的康复训练治疗,两组患儿训练治疗和3个月后分别进行Gesell智力测试评估检查。结果观察组和对照组训练后与训练前比较智力各能区均有显著改善(P<0.01),训练后观察组患儿智力各能区改善优于对照组(P<0.05);观察组中2-6月组训练后智力等级的改善优于7-12月组(P<0.05),观察组中的智力正常及边缘水平组智力各能区提高的发育商差值优于智力落后组患儿(P<0.01)。结论早期认知干预训练可有效的提高脑损伤综合征患儿的智力各能区的发育水平,越早干预效果越好,不同智力发育水平患儿学习提高有差异。     

急诊颅脑手术合并心脏支架术后动态监测血小板功能1例报告

重型颅脑创伤患者病情危重,病情进展极快,后期并发症多,治疗颇为复杂,病死率高。对于颅脑损伤合并冠心病支架术后长期服用双抗药物的患者,围手术期密切监测血小板聚集试验以平衡预防出血与心脏事件之间的矛盾极为关键。现报告动态监测血小板功能应用于急诊颅脑手术合并心脏支架术后患者1例。     

Activation of brain regions using task-state FMRI in patients with mild traumatic brain injury: a meta-analysis

Activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis was performed to examine the activation characteristics of cognition-related brain regions in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The databases PubMed, Ovid, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, CNKI, WFSD, and VIP were systematically searched. The software Ginger-ALE 3.0.2 was used for coordinate unification and meta-analysis. Seven studies with a total of 314 subjects were included. Meta-analysis results indicated that compared with healthy subjects, mTBI patients had enhanced activation in the left anterior angular gyrus, left occipital joint visual, left midbrain, right temporal angular gyrus, right cerebellar tonsil, left frontal insula, and right inferior frontal gyrus. mTBI patients had attenuated activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe, left cerebellar anterior lobe, left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe, right middle frontal gyrus, right posterior cingulate gyrus, left joint visual, left supramarginal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, right precuneus, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right frontal eye field, right lower parietal gyrus, corpus callosum, right frontal pole region, and left prefrontal lobe. Further joint analysis revealed that the dorsolateral prefrontal lobe of the right middle frontal gyrus was a region of attenuated co-activation. The dorsolateral prefrontal lobe of the right middle frontal gyrus showing attenuated activation was the main brain region distinguishing mTBI patients from healthy subjects. Cognitive deficits could be associated with attenuated activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal lobe of the right middle frontal gyrus, which could be due to a decline in the recruitment ability of the neural network involved in controlling attention.     

脑结构性病变患儿视频脑电图改变探讨

目的：探讨不同类型脑结构性病变与视频脑电图（V—EEG）表现的关系。方法：对73例影像学检查确认为脑结构性病变患儿进行V—EEG检查,分析其结果。结果：皮层损害患儿组EEG异常率高于颅内囊肿及血管畸形组,其间的差异有显著意义。有抽搐病史的结构性脑损伤患儿EEG异常率高于无抽搐病史的患儿,其间的差异有非常显著意义。结论：大脑皮层的结构性损害及有抽搐病史患儿的EEG异常率及痫波检出率均高。     

Evaluation of a social-skills training group intervention with children treated for brain tumors: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a manual-based, social-skills training, group intervention to improve social skills and social functioning of children treated for brain tumors, and to assess the impact of cognitive functioning on the effectiveness of the intervention. METHODS: Three social-skills training group interventions, each comprised of 5 to 7 children ages 8 to 14 years, were conducted. A parent component was included. In total, 13 children and their parents and teachers completed standard measures prior to and 9 months after the intervention. Children participated in a neuropsychological test battery at baseline. RESULTS: Social skills and social functioning variables changed in the direction of improved functioning, with several scores showing significant improvement from baseline to the follow-up assessment. Small to medium effect sizes were documented. Higher verbal and nonverbal functioning were associated with greater improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are suggestive of the potential effectiveness of social-skills training in groups for children with brain tumors. Multisite, randomized, controlled studies are recommended as the next step.     

Electrophysiological markers of cognitive deficits in traumatic brain injury: A review

Event-related potentials (ERPs) and oscillatory activity from the human electroencephalogram (EEG) provides a rich source of data that helps elucidate specific processing impairments in TBI patients. This review will focus on some of the central and disabling cognitive deficits in TBI and how broadband ERP markers and the spectral content of the EEG can help explain abnormalities in brain function that impact upon processing speed, sustained attention, performance monitoring, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. Physiological signals also provide useful outcome markers in cognitive intervention studies in conjunction with behavioural endpoints. Potential rehabilitation approaches utilising electrophysiological markers of recovery are also discussed. Progress has been made in recent years in defining key pathophysiological mechanisms in the context of sensitive laboratory paradigms. However, aberrant physiological signals need to be understood more clearly in future studies in terms of the neuroanatomical impact of injury, particularly in relation to the most common type of damage in TBI, disrupting extended white matter fibres.     

Excessive sleep need following traumatic brain injury: a case–control study of 36 patients

Increased sleep need following traumatic brain injury, referred to in this study as post‐traumatic pleiosomnia, is common, but so far its clinical impact and therapeutic implications have not been characterized. We present a case–control study of 36 patients with post‐traumatic pleiosomnia, defined by an increased sleep need of at least 2 h per 24 h after traumatic brain injury, compared to 36 controls. We assessed detailed history, sleep‐activity patterns with sleep logs and actigraphy, nocturnal sleep with polysomnography and daytime sleep propensity with multiple sleep latency tests. Actigraphy recordings revealed that traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients had longer estimated sleep durations than controls (10.8 h per 24 h, compared to 7.3 h). When using sleep logs, TBI patients underestimated their sleep need. During nocturnal sleep, patients had higher amounts of slow‐wave sleep than controls (20 versus 13.8%). Multiple sleep latency tests revealed excessive daytime sleepiness in 15 patients (42%), and 10 of them had signs of chronic sleep deprivation. We conclude that post‐traumatic pleiosomnia may be even more frequent than reported previously, because affected patients often underestimate their actual sleep need. Furthermore, these patients exhibit an increase in slow‐wave sleep which may reflect recovery mechanisms, intrinsic consequences of diffuse brain damage or relative sleep deprivation.     

Persistent problems 1 year after mild traumatic brain injury: a longitudinal population study in New Zealand

Background

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common problem in general practice settings, yet previous research does not take into account those who do not attend hospital after injury. This is important as there is evidence that effects may be far from mild.

Aim

To determine whether people sustain any persistent effects 1 year after mTBI, and to identify the predictors of health outcomes.

Design and setting

A community-based, longitudinal population study of an mTBI incidence cohort (n = 341) from a mixed urban and rural region (Hamilton and Waikato Districts) of the North Island of New Zealand (NZ).

Method

Adults (>16 years) completed assessments of cognitive functioning, global functioning, post-concussion symptoms, mood, and quality of life over the year after injury.

Results

Nearly half of participants (47.9%) reported experiencing four or more post-concussion symptoms 1 year post-injury. Additionally, 10.9% of participants revealed very low cognitive functioning. Levels of anxiety, depression, or reduced quality of life were comparable with the general population. Having at least one comorbidity, history of brain injury, living alone, non-white ethnic group, alcohol and medication use, and being female were significant predictors of poorer outcomes at 12 months.

Conclusion

Although some people make a spontaneous recovery after mTBI, nearly half continue to experience persistent symptoms linked to their injury. Monitoring of recovery from mTBI may be needed and interventions provided for those experiencing persistent difficulties. Demographic factors and medical history should be taken into account in treatment planning.     

Clinical predictors of prognosis in patients with traumatic brain injury combined with extracranial trauma

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether routine blood tests on admission and clinical characteristics can predict prognosis in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) combined with extracranial trauma.Methods: Clinical data of 182 patients with TBI combined with extracranial trauma from April 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Based on GOSE score one month after discharge, the patients were divided into a favorable group (GOSE 1-4) and unfavorable group (GOSE 5-8). Routine blood tests on admission and clinical characteristics were recorded.Results: Overall, there were 48 (26.4%) patients with unfavorable outcome and 134 (73.6%) patients with favorable outcome. Based on multivariate analysis, independent risk factors associated with unfavorable outcome were age (odds ratio [OR], 1.070; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.018-1.124; p<0.01), admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (OR, 0.807; 95% CI, 0.675-0.965; p<0.05), heart rate (OR, 1.035; 95% CI, 1.004-1.067; p<0.05), platelets count (OR, 0.982; 95% CI, 0.967-0.997; p<0.05), and tracheotomy (OR, 15.201; 95% CI, 4.121-56.078; p<0.001). Areas under the curve (AUC) of age, admission GCS, heart rate, tracheotomy, and platelets count were 0.678 (95% CI, 0.584-0.771), 0.799 (95% CI, 0.723-0.875), 0.652 (95% CI, 0.553-0.751), 0.776 (95% CI, 0.692-0.859), and 0.688 (95% CI, 0.606-0.770), respectively.Conclusions: Age, admission GCS score, heart rate, tracheotomy, and platelets count can be recognized as independent predictors of clinical prognosis in patients with severe TBI combined with extracranial trauma.     

The evolution of traumatic brain injury in a rat focal contusion model

Serial MRI facilitates the in vivo analysis of the intra‐ and intersubject evolution of traumatic brain injury lesions. Despite the availability of MRI, the natural history of experimental focal contusion lesions in the controlled cortical impact (CCI) rat model has not been well described. We performed CCI on rats and MRI during the acute to chronic stages of cerebral injury to investigate the time course of changes in the brain. Female Wistar rats underwent CCI of their left motor cortex with a flat impact tip driven by an electromagnetic piston. In vivo MRI was performed at 7 T serially over 6 weeks post‐CCI. The appearances of CCI‐induced lesions and lesion‐associated cortical volumes were variable on MRI, with the percentage change in cortical volume of the CCI ipsilateral side relative to the contralateral side ranging from 18% within 2 h of injury on day 0 to a peak of 35% on day 1, and a trough of –28% by week 5/6, with an average standard deviation of ±14% at any given time point. In contrast, the percentage change in cortical volume of the ipsilateral side relative to the contralateral side in control rats was not significant (1 ± 2%). Hemorrhagic conversion within and surrounding the CCI lesion occurred between days 2 and 9 in 45% of rats, with no hemorrhage noted on the initial scan. Furthermore, hemorrhage and hemosiderin within the lesion were positive for Prussian blue and highly autofluorescent on histological examination. Although some variation in injuries may be technique related, the divergence of similar lesions between initial and final scans demonstrates the inherent biological variability of the CCI rat model. Published 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

促红细胞生成素干预早产儿脑损伤机制的研究进展

早产儿脑损伤可继发多种严重并发症,其严重的神经系统后遗症已成为新的临床、公共卫生和社会问题.目前研究发现促红细胞生成素(erythropoietin,EPO)能减轻早产儿脑损伤,对损伤的脑神经细胞有保护和修复作用,并可能提高远期神经预后.EPO发挥神经保护作用的主要机制是促进早产儿脑血管成熟、缓解血管痉挛,促进血管新生,在缺血部位建立侧枝循环改善脑缺血情况;对缺血缺氧(hypoxic ischemic,HI)后神经元凋亡和炎性坏死的双重阻断作用;抗氧化效果;减少谷氨酸毒性;营养神经及促进神经元的增值、树突增多、功能增强等.EPO对早产儿脑损伤后的多重保护作用为早产儿脑损伤的治疗提供了临床应用前景.     

Poor sleep correlates with biomarkers of neurodegeneration in mild traumatic brain injury patients: a CENC study

Study ObjectivesSleep disorders affect over half of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients. Despite evidence linking sleep and neurodegeneration, longitudinal TBI-related dementia studies have not considered sleep. We hypothesized that poor sleepers with mTBI would have elevated markers of neurodegeneration and lower cognitive function compared to mTBI good sleepers and controls. Our objective was to compare biomarkers of neurodegeneration and cognitive function with sleep quality in warfighters with chronic mTBI.MethodsIn an observational warfighters cohort (n = 138 mTBI, 44 controls), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was compared with plasma biomarkers of neurodegeneration and cognitive scores collected an average of 8 years after injury.ResultsIn the mTBI cohort, poor sleepers (PSQI ≥ 10, n = 86) had elevated plasma neurofilament light (NfL, $\bar{x}$ = 11.86 vs 7.91 pg/mL, p = 0.0007, d = 0.63) and lower executive function scores by the categorical fluency ($\bar{x}$ = 18.0 vs 21.0, p = 0.0005, d = –0.65) and stop-go tests ($\bar{x}$ = 30.1 vs 31.1, p = 0.024, d = –0.37). These findings were not observed in controls (n = 44). PSQI predicted NfL (beta = 0.22, p = 0.00002) and tau (beta = 0.14, p = 0.007), but not amyloid β42. Poor sleepers showed higher obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk by STOP-BANG scores ($\bar{x}$ = 3.8 vs 2.7, p = 0.0005), raising the possibility that the PSQI might be partly secondary to OSA.ConclusionsPoor sleep is linked to neurodegeneration and select measures of executive function in mTBI patients. This supports implementation of validated sleep measures in longitudinal studies investigating pathobiological mechanisms of TBI related neurodegeneration, which could have therapeutic implications.     

Detecting malingering in traumatic brain injury and chronic pain with an abbreviated version of the Meyers Index for the MMPI-2

Meyers, Millis, and Volkert [Meyers, J. E., Millis, S. R., & Volkert, K. (2002). A validity index for the MMPI-2. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 17, 157–169] developed a method to detect malingering in chronic pain patients using seven scales from the Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). This method may be impractical because two of the scales (Obvious minus Subtle and Dissimulation-revised) are not reported by the commercially available Pearson computerized scoring system. The current study recalculated the Meyers Index using the five Pearson-provided scales in the chronic pain data sets of Meyers et al. [Meyers, J. E., Millis, S. R., & Volkert, K. (2002). A validity index for the MMPI-2. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 17, 157–169] and Bianchini, Etherton, Greve, Heinly, and Meyers [Bianchini, K. J., Etherton, J. L., Greve, K. W., Heinly, M. T., & Meyers, J. E. (in press). Classification accuracy of MMPI-2 validity scales in the detection of pain-related malingering: A known-groups approach. Assessment], and the traumatic brain injury data of Greve, Bianchini, Love, Brennan, and Heinly [Greve, K. W., Bianchini, K. J., Love, J. M., Brennan, A., & Heinly, M. T. (2006). Sensitivity and specificity of MMPI-2 validity scales and indicators to malingered neurocognitive dysfunction in traumatic brain injury. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 20, 491–512]. Classification accuracy of the abbreviated Meyers Index was comparable to the original. These findings demonstrate that the abbreviated Meyers Index can be used as a substitute of the original Meyers Index without decrements in classification accuracy.     

创伤性脑损伤后大鼠皮质AQP4表达的变化

目的 观察创伤性脑损伤后大鼠皮质水通道蛋白4(aquaporin4,AQP4)表达的变化.方法 采用Feency法建立脑损伤大鼠模型,取成年健康雄性wistar大鼠60只,随机分为6组,So、S1、S4、S1W、S2W及正常对照组.采用免疫组化和免疫印迹方法进行各组AQP4表达变化的观察及检测,进行图像分析和统计学处理...     

Performance discrepancies on the California Verbal Learning Test: Second Edition (CVLT-II) after traumatic brain injury.

One hundred fourteen patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), selected from a 5-year series of consecutive rehabilitation referrals, completed the California Verbal Learning Test -- Second Edition (CVLT-II) within 1 year after injury. Various performance contrasts (i.e., proactive interference, retroactive interference, rapid forgetting, and retrieval problems) were evaluated. Initial analyses revealed higher rates of rapid forgetting in the TBI group as compared to the standardization sample. Follow-up analyses between those patients with and without unusual degrees of rapid forgetting did not reveal any significant differences between these groups on demographic or neurological variables (p>0.10 for all variables). It is concluded that performance discrepancies on the CVLT-II should never be used in isolation to determine the presence or absence of acquired cerebral or memory impairment. However, regardless of the cause, such discrepancies may still be relevant for clinical treatment recommendations.     

Brief report: parental report of sleep behaviors following moderate or severe pediatric traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVE: Determine the effect of moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) on the sleep of school-aged children. METHODS: A concurrent cohort-prospective design compared children aged 6-12 years who sustained moderate TBI (baseline n = 56), severe TBI (n = 53), or only orthopedic injuries (n = 80). Retrospective parental report of pre-injury sleep was collected about 3 weeks post-injury. Post-injury assessments occurred prospectively a mean of 6, 12, and 48 months later. RESULTS: Growth curve analyses compared the groups over time. The moderate TBI group had worse pre-injury sleep than the other groups. The moderate TBI and orthopedic injury groups displayed a small decline in sleep problems from pre- to post-injury. Children with severe TBI displayed increased post-injury sleep problems. CONCLUSIONS: Children who sustain severe TBI are at elevated risk for post-injury sleep problems. Because sleep problems may result in daytime impairments and family distress, additional clinical and research attention is warranted.     

The influence of attention and arousal on emotion perception in adults with severe traumatic brain injury

Many people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) have poor emotion recognition, with negative emotions more frequently impaired. They can also display abnormal affective responses to emotionally charged material, however, the mechanisms underpinning such deficits are unclear. This study examined whether affective responsivity can be improved by focusing attention and whether responsivity is associated with perception accuracy. Eighteen adults with moderate-to-severe TBI and 18 control participants viewed facial expressions while skin conductance (SCR) and evoked cardiac deceleration (ECD) (used as indices of orientation) and skin conductance levels (SCL) (used as an index of phasic arousal) were monitored. They viewed two blocks of faces (8 angry and 8 happy per block), passively in the first block and with the instruction to identify the emotional expression in the second. No differences between conditions, emotions or groups were found using SCR. Both groups demonstrated increasing ECD for the attend condition relative to the passive condition. For the passive task the control group showed increasing SCL (sensitisation) over trials when viewing angry faces and decreasing SCL (habituation) to happy faces. No differences between emotions were shown for the TBI group who rapidly habituated to both expressions. For the attend task, there was no evidence of habituation for either expression for either the control or TBI participants. Physiological measures did not correlate to accuracy in recognising emotions. The results suggest that increasing attentional demands improves orientation and emotional engagement (arousal) to emotional faces following TBI. However, the relationship to this and emotion perception accuracy remains unclear.     

Sleep deprivation has a neuroprotective role in a traumatic brain injury of the rat

During the process of a brain injury, responses to produce damage and cell death are activated, but self-protective responses that attempt to maintain the integrity and functionality of the brain are also activated. We have previously reported that the recovery from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is better in rats if it occurs during the dark phase of the diurnal cycle when rats are in the waking period. This suggests that wakefulness causes a neuroprotective role in this type of injury. Here we report that 24 h of total sleep deprivation after a TBI reduces the morphological damage and enhances the recovery of the rats, as seen on a neurobiological scale.