Traumatic Brain Injury Blog

Defense Department Study Finds that Targeted Treatment Improves Chronic Symptoms Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

A recent Defense Department/University of Pittsburgh study confirms three important points made in prior posts:

1. So called “mild” traumatic brain injury (“mTBI”) can have long-term, disabling consequences (in both civilian and military populations);
2. that this injury is heterogeneous in both presentation and clinical outcome (in other words, every injury is different); and
3. that interventions targeted to the individual presentation of the injury (whether it is predominantly vestibular, cognitive, oculomotor, headache, sleep or mood related, or some combination) can reduce symptoms in otherwise intractable patients.

The message is that ignoring the symptoms and hoping that they will ultimately disappear – the approach often taken in the past – is not wise for either the individual or for society as a whole. Read More

Cognitive Training Reduces Depression and Changes Brain Structure in Individuals with Chronic TBI Symptoms

Research scientists at the Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas have just published a study, funded by the US Department of Defense, supporting the effectiveness of “strategy-based” cognitive training at reducing symptoms of depression commonly found in patients with chronic (greater than 6 months) traumatic brain injury (TBI) symptoms.

The training was an integrative program designed to improve cognitive control by exerting more efficient thinking strategies for selective attention and abstract reasoning. The training did not directly target psychiatric symptoms such as depression, but was nonetheless effective at reducing those symptoms. Read More

Large Study Finds Increased Risk of Dementia Diagnosis in Veterans with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

In a propensity-matched cohort study of more than 350,000 veterans with and without traumatic brain injuries (TBI), mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) without loss of consciousness was associated with more than a twofold increase in the risk of a dementia diagnosis, even after adjusting for medical and psychiatric co-morbidities. This large epidemiological study was recently published in JAMA Neurology.  Approximately 2.8 million TBIs occur each year in the United States; approximately 80% are in the “mild” category.

Although prior studies of the association between mTBI and dementia have been mixed, this study, among the largest epidemiological studies to date, adds to the weight of evidence suggesting that even mild TBI is associated with an increased dementia diagnosis risk. Read More

Eye Tests as Screening Tool for Acute Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Department of Defense researchers endorse use of eye tests as an effective screening tool for acute mild traumatic brain injury (concussion)

In prior posts we have discussed the growing recognition that one of the signature symptoms of concussion is a subtle change in visual processing. Army researchers funded by the US Department of Defense have just published findings further supporting this understanding in the November 15, 2016 issue of the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

In the published findings, the authors note that “mild” traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is sometimes difficult to diagnose because of the overlap of symptoms with other disorders such as PTSD. This has led to a quest for biomarkers or diagnostic tests (e.g. protein, imaging, cognitive, neurosensory.) This quest is especially significant for warfighters at risk for more severe “second-impact” concussions and whose lives and safety may be endangered by visual or cognitive compromises. Read More

Important New Guidelines on Neuroimaging in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

In July, 2013 the Defense Centers of Excellence, serving the United States Department of Defense, issued important new guidelines for neuroimaging following “mild” traumatic brain injury.  The guidelines begin with the well-accepted understanding that neuroimaging is not typically included in the diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury(“mTBI”) because only 10-15% of people who sustain trauma resulting in mTBI will have an acute brain lesion on CT (computed tomography) scans. “The lack of positive imaging findings,” the guidelines emphasize, “does not invalidate a diagnosis of mTBI.”

What is significant about the guidelines is that they recommend imaging in mTBI cases where the victim has “new, persistent or worsening symptoms” 90 days or more following the injury (described as the “chronic stage.”) Read More