scholarly journals Impaired visual working memory and reduced connectivity in undergraduates with a history of mild traumatic brain injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector Arciniega ◽  
Jorja Shires ◽  
Sarah Furlong ◽  
Alexandrea Kilgore-Gomez ◽  
Adelle Cerreta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Post Injury ◽  
Behavioral Deficits ◽  
Specific Outcome ◽  
History Of

AbstractMild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, accounts for 85% of all TBIs. Yet survivors anticipate full cognitive recovery within several months of injury, if not sooner, dependent upon the specific outcome/measure. Recovery is variable and deficits in executive function, e.g., working memory (WM) can persist years post-mTBI. We tested whether cognitive deficits persist in otherwise healthy undergraduates, as a conservative indicator for mTBI survivors at large. We collected WM performance (change detection, n-back tasks) using various stimuli (shapes, locations, letters; aurally presented numbers and letters), and wide-ranging cognitive assessments (e.g., RBANS). We replicated the observation of a general visual WM deficit, with preserved auditory WM. Surprisingly, visual WM deficits were equivalent in participants with a history of mTBI (mean 4.3 years post-injury) and in undergraduates with recent sports-related mTBI (mean 17 days post-injury). In seeking the underlying mechanism of these behavioral deficits, we collected resting state fMRI (rsfMRI) and EEG (rsEEG). RsfMRI revealed significantly reduced connectivity within WM-relevant networks (default mode, central executive, dorsal attention, salience), whereas rsEEG identified no differences (modularity, global efficiency, local efficiency). In summary, otherwise healthy current undergraduates with a history of mTBI present behavioral deficits with evidence of persistent disconnection long after full recovery is expected.

scholarly journals Visual working memory deficits in undergraduates with a history of mild traumatic brain injury

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (8) ◽  
pp. 2597-2603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector Arciniega ◽  
Alexandrea Kilgore-Gomez ◽  
Alison Harris ◽  
Dwight J. Peterson ◽  
Jaclyn McBride ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Memory Deficits ◽  
History Of

scholarly journals Changes in working memory-related cortical responses following pediatric mild traumatic brain injury: A longitudinal fMRI study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 205970022110065
Author(s):  
Athena Stein ◽  
Kartik K Iyer ◽  
Aneesh M Khetani ◽  
Karen M Barlow
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Data Quality Control ◽  
Post Injury ◽  
Cortical Responses ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal ◽  
Over Time

Persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) lasting longer than 4 weeks affect 25% of children with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or concussion. Working memory (WM) problems are a common complaint in children with PPCS. Despite normal function on traditional neuropsychological tests, these children exhibit aberrant cortical responses within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and default mode network (DMN) regions – both of which are implicated in WM. Using a prospective, longitudinal cohort study design, we investigated changes in cortical fMRI responses within the dlPFC and DMN during an nback WM task at two timepoints: one and two months post-injury. Across these timepoints, the primary outcome was change in cortical activations (increase in BOLD) and deactivations (decrease in BOLD) of both dlPFC and DMN. Twenty-nine children (mean age 15.49 ± 2.15; 48.3% male) with fMRI scans at both timepoints were included, following data quality control. Student’s t-tests were used to examine cortical activations across time and task difficulty. ANCOVA F-tests examined cortical responses after removal of baseline across time, task difficulty and recovery. Volumes of interest (5 mm sphere) were placed in peak voxel regions of the DMN and dlPFC to compare cortical responses between recovered and unrecovered participants over time (one-way ANOVA). Between one and two months post-injury, we found significant increases in dlPFC activations and significant activations and deactivations in the DMN with increasing task difficulty, alongside improved task performance. Cortical responses of the DMN and bilateral dlPFC displayed increased intensity in recovered participants, together with improved attention and behavioural symptoms. Overall, our findings suggest evidence of neural compensation and ongoing cognitive recovery from pediatric TBI over time between one and two months post injury in children with PPCS. These results highlight the wider and persisting implications of mTBI in children, whose maturing brains are particularly vulnerable to TBI.

Eyeball Pressure Stimulation Unveils Subtle Autonomic Cardiovascular Dysfunction in Persons with a History of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (22) ◽  
pp. 1796-1804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max J. Hilz ◽  
Felix Aurnhammer ◽  
Steven R. Flanagan ◽  
Tassanai Intravooth ◽  
Ruihao Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Cardiovascular Dysfunction ◽  
History Of

Blood Biomarkers Relate to Cognitive Performance Years after Traumatic Brain Injury in Service Members and Veterans

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Sara M. Lippa ◽  
Jessica Gill ◽  
Tracey A. Brickell ◽  
Louis M. French ◽  
Rael T. Lange
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Cognitive Outcome ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Neurocognitive Performance ◽  
Blood Biomarkers ◽  
Post Injury ◽  
Blood Draw ◽  
Neurofilament Light ◽  
History Of

Abstract Objective: This study examines the relationship of serum total tau, neurofilament light (NFL), ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) with neurocognitive performance in service members and veterans with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method: Service members (n = 488) with a history of uncomplicated mild (n = 172), complicated mild, moderate, severe, or penetrating TBI (sTBI; n = 126), injured controls (n = 116), and non-injured controls (n = 74) prospectively enrolled from Military Treatment Facilities. Participants completed a blood draw and neuropsychological assessment a year or more post-injury. Six neuropsychological composite scores and presence/absence of mild neurocognitive disorder (MNCD) were evaluated. Within each group, stepwise hierarchical regression models were conducted. Results: Within the sTBI group, increased serum UCH-L1 was related to worse immediate memory and delayed memory (R2Δ = .065–.084, ps < .05) performance, while increased GFAP was related to worse perceptual reasoning (R2Δ = .030, p = .036). Unexpectedly, within injured controls, UCH-L1 and GFAP were inversely related to working memory (R2Δ = .052–.071, ps < .05), and NFL was related to executive functioning (R2Δ = .039, p = .021) and MNCD (Exp(B) = 1.119, p = .029). Conclusions: Results suggest GFAP and UCH-L1 could play a role in predicting poor cognitive outcome following complicated mild and more severe TBI. Further investigation of blood biomarkers and cognition is warranted.

scholarly journals 3,6′-Dithiopomalidomide Ameliorates Hippocampal Neurodegeneration, Microgliosis and Astrogliosis and Improves Cognitive Behaviors in Rats with a Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 8276
Author(s):  
Pen-Sen Huang ◽  
Ping-Yen Tsai ◽  
Ling-Yu Yang ◽  
Daniela Lecca ◽  
Weiming Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Post Injury ◽  
Behavioral Deficits ◽  
Cognitive Behaviors ◽  
Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Behavioral Impairments ◽  
Hippocampal Neurodegeneration

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide. It can instigate immediate cell death, followed by a time-dependent secondary injury that results from disproportionate microglial and astrocyte activation, excessive inflammation and oxidative stress in brain tissue, culminating in both short- and long-term cognitive dysfunction and behavioral deficits. Within the brain, the hippocampus is particularly vulnerable to a TBI. We studied a new pomalidomide (Pom) analog, namely, 3,6′-dithioPom (DP), and Pom as immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiD) for mitigating TBI-induced hippocampal neurodegeneration, microgliosis, astrogliosis and behavioral impairments in a controlled cortical impact (CCI) model of TBI in rats. Both agents were administered as a single intravenous dose (0.5 mg/kg) at 5 h post injury so that the efficacies could be compared. Pom and DP significantly reduced the contusion volume evaluated at 24 h and 7 days post injury. Both agents ameliorated short-term memory deficits and anxiety behavior at 7 days after a TBI. The number of degenerating neurons in the CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) regions of the hippocampus after a TBI was reduced by Pom and DP. DP, but not Pom, significantly attenuated the TBI-induced microgliosis and DP was more efficacious than Pom at attenuating the TBI-induced astrogliosis in CA1 and DG at 7D after a TBI. In summary, a single intravenous injection of Pom or DP, given 5 h post TBI, significantly reduced hippocampal neurodegeneration and prevented cognitive deficits with a concomitant attenuation of the neuroinflammation in the hippocampus.

Severity of Ongoing Post-Concussive Symptoms as a Predictor of Cognitive Performance Following a Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Veronik Sicard ◽  
Danielle C. Hergert ◽  
Sharvani Pabbathi Reddy ◽  
Cidney R. Robertson-Benta ◽  
Andrew B. Dodd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Visual Learning ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Post Injury

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to examine the predictors of cognitive performance in patients with pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (pmTBI) and to determine whether group differences in cognitive performance on a computerized test battery could be observed between pmTBI patients and healthy controls (HC) in the sub-acute (SA) and the early chronic (EC) phases of injury. Method: 203 pmTBI patients recruited from emergency settings and 159 age- and sex-matched HC aged 8–18 rated their ongoing post-concussive symptoms (PCS) on the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory and completed the Cogstate brief battery in the SA (1–11 days) phase of injury. A subset (156 pmTBI patients; 144 HC) completed testing in the EC (∼4 months) phase. Results: Within the SA phase, a group difference was only observed for the visual learning task (One-Card Learning), with pmTBI patients being less accurate relative to HC. Follow-up analyses indicated higher ongoing PCS and higher 5P clinical risk scores were significant predictors of lower One-Card Learning accuracy within SA phase, while premorbid variables (estimates of intellectual functioning, parental education, and presence of learning disabilities or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) were not. Conclusions: The absence of group differences at EC phase is supportive of cognitive recovery by 4 months post-injury. While the severity of ongoing PCS and the 5P score were better overall predictors of cognitive performance on the Cogstate at SA relative to premorbid variables, the full regression model explained only 4.1% of the variance, highlighting the need for future work on predictors of cognitive outcomes.

scholarly journals Exosomal MicroRNA Differential Expression in Plasma of Young Adults with Chronic Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Healthy Control

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Rany Vorn ◽  
Maiko Suarez ◽  
Jacob C. White ◽  
Carina A. Martin ◽  
Hyung-Suk Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Pathophysiological Mechanism ◽  
Post Injury ◽  
Persistent Symptoms ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Chronic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has long-term consequences, such as neurological disability, but its pathophysiological mechanism is unknown. Exosomal microRNAs (exomiRNAs) may be important mediators of molecular and cellular changes involved in persistent symptoms after mTBI. We profiled exosomal microRNAs (exomiRNAs) in plasma from young adults with or without a chronic mTBI to decipher the underlying mechanisms of its long-lasting symptoms after mTBI. We identified 25 significantly dysregulated exomiRNAs in the chronic mTBI group (n = 29, with 4.48 mean years since the last injury) compared to controls (n = 11). These miRNAs are associated with pathways of neurological disease, organismal injury and abnormalities, and psychological disease. Dysregulation of these plasma exomiRNAs in chronic mTBI may indicate that neuronal inflammation can last long after the injury and result in enduring and persistent post-injury symptoms. These findings are useful for diagnosing and treating chronic mTBIs.

scholarly journals Structural brain connectivity predicts acute pain after mild traumatic brain injury

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Branco ◽  
Noam Bosak ◽  
Jannis Bielefeld ◽  
Olivia Cong ◽  
Yelena Granovsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Acute Pain ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Pain Modulation ◽  
Acute Injury ◽  
Post Injury

Mild traumatic brain injury, mTBI, is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with acute pain manifesting as one of its most debilitating symptoms. Understanding acute post-injury pain is important since it is a strong predictor of long-term outcomes. In this study, we imaged the brains of 172 patients with mTBI, following a motorized vehicle collision and used a machine learning approach to extract white matter structural and resting state fMRI functional connectivity measures to predict acute pain. Stronger white matter tracts within the sensorimotor, thalamic-cortical, and default-mode systems predicted 20% of the variance in pain severity within 72 hours of the injury. This result generalized in two independent groups: 39 mTBI patients and 13 mTBI patients without whiplash symptoms. White matter measures collected at 6-months after the collision still predicted mTBI pain at that timepoint (n = 36). These white-matter connections were associated with two nociceptive psychophysical outcomes tested at a remote body site – namely conditioned pain modulation and magnitude of suprathreshold pain–, and with pain sensitivity questionnaire scores. Our validated findings demonstrate a stable white-matter network, the properties of which determine a significant amount of pain experienced after acute injury, pinpointing a circuitry engaged in the transformation and amplification of nociceptive inputs to pain perception.

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