Browse Head Trauma Articles by Topic

Significance of Brain Microbleeds After Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic microbleeds are common in patients with any severity of traumatic brain injury and may be a useful biomarker to predict clinical outcomes.

Cognitive-Motor Dissociation in Patients Admitted to ICUs After Acute Brain Injuries

In a large, prospective, single-center study, more than one in six patients with acute brain injuries may have cognitive-motor dissociation (CMD) (e.g., they harbor capacity to modulate their brain activity in response to motor commands while remaining behaviorally unresponsive at the bedside). Some acute CMD patients were found to have a much higher chance for recovery of neurological functions and for reaching independent levels of activities of daily living by 12 months after brain injury.

Statin Use Moderately Reduces Dementia Risk After Concussions in Older Individuals

In a large population study, concussion in older adults resulted in significantly higher risk for dementia that was modestly reduced among those taking a statin.

Tau PET Is Promising as a Diagnostic Agent in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Former NFL players with symptoms consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy had increased tau tracer uptake that was associated with years of playing football but not with cognitive or neuropsychological measures.

Measurement of Brain Vital Signs in Concussed Athletes

These investigators prospectively studied auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) in junior competitive male ice hockey players and identified a pattern of ERPs that distinguishes acutely concussed from non-concussed players, establishing this noninvasive, easy-to-administer test as a biomarker to assist trainers, coaches, and clinicians with making the diagnosis of concussion.

Are Women More Prone to Brain Injury Than Men When Playing Soccer?

Repeated subconcussive injuries to the brain, such as “heading” the ball in soccer, result in more severe injury and slower recovery in women compared to men.

Hypercapnic Acidosis and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Acute Brain Injury

In this multicenter retrospective study, hypercapnic acidosis was associated with worse clinical outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients with acute brain injury.

What Are the Early Predictors for Post-traumatic Epilepsy After Injury?

Following traumatic brain injury, early (first five days after injury) epileptiform abnormalities on EEG were seen more commonly in patients with subsequent post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE), compared to controls, and were found to be a significant and independent predictor of PTE. The presence of subdural hemorrhage was the only other independent predictor of PTE.

Intracranial Pressure Changes in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

After an exhaustive review of the animal and human studies literature regarding mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), Haider et al. did not reach consistent conclusions regarding evidence for intracranial pressure elevation in human patients who sustain an mTBI.

Prediction of Persistent Post-concussion Symptoms After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Persistent post-concussion syndrome may last for more than six months, and risk factors include female sex, neck pain, headache, and post-concussive symptoms at two weeks after the injury.