We have long known that trauma to the brain causes a primary insult and initiates a secondary biochemical cascade as part of the immune and reparative response to injury.
The secondary cascade, although a normal physiological response, can contribute to ongoing neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and axonal injury, continuing in some cases years after the initial insult. There is no clearly effective therapy to mitigate the secondary injury to the central nervous system – to ameliorate the neuroinflammatory response to injury that can cause long term symptoms.
Over the past decade this blog has featured several articles addressing the growing recognition that neuroendocrine issues are an often-overlooked consequence of TBIs of all levels of severity, leaving patients with unnecessary chronic symptoms. We have discussed evolving guidance on the best methods to assess these issues (including the importance of “stimulation testing.” ) Unfortunately, outside of major medical centers (and military hospitals) awareness of this issue is not consistent.
As we have discussed, one of the most common neuroendocrine deficiencies is “growth hormone” deficiency. The symptoms of growth hormone deficiency are common following TBI; they include “quality of life” problems including low energy level, increased emotional lability and irritability, and increased social isolation. They also include physical symptoms such as increased fat mass and decreased muscle strength. The good news is that when the cause of these symptoms is injury to the pituitary gland (often the stalk of the pituitary gland, which is particularly vulnerable) treatment may lead to improvement in the symptoms. Growth hormone deficiency may be addressed through regular growth hormone injections. Although this treatment can be expensive and is sometimes required on a permanent basis, the increasing understanding of this issue in the field of neuroendocrinology has made it easier for patients to get insurance coverage. Read More
For more than a decade this blog has covered the growing recognition by policy makers and in the peer reviewed literature that traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) of all kinds should not be treated as a static event from which patients gradually recover over time.
In many cases, the TBI is the beginning of a disease process that can cause symptoms that change over time, in some cases getting better instead of worse, and that can impact multiple organ systems.
In 2009 this led a leading advocacy group, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), to issue a position paper in favor of recognizing TBIs as a “chronic health condition.” The BIAA has continued to advocate this position. The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid (the latter in cooperation with states) has now adopted this position as well, recognizing TBI as a chronic health condition effective January, 2025. This will lead to both increased public health resources – to address the lifelong impacts of brain injury – and to enhanced benefits from health insurance plans like Medicare and Medicaid. Read More
A large TRACK-TBI cohort study published in JAMA Network Open finds incomplete recovery at 5 years in 53% of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients, dictating need for longer term rehabilitation.
A multi-center transforming research and clinical knowledge in TBI (TRACK-TBI) cohort study published March 20, 2023 in JAMA Network Open followed 1196 patients at 18 level 1.0 trauma care centers in the US over five years, including patient with mTBI, patients with moderate-severe brain injury (msTBI) and orthopedic controls. It found persistently elevated rates of incomplete functional outcomes in 53% of mild traumatic brain injury patients and 83% of msTBI patients compared to controls, supporting a need for longer term monitoring and rehabilitation.
One of the most frequent questions I get from TBI clients in my Vermont law practice is: “Are there alternative therapies I can explore to help support my recovery from a traumatic brain injury without risking further harm?” Physicians practicing “integrative oncology” offer a multi-disciplinary approach to patient care for cancer that implements complementary therapies in collaboration with conventional treatment. Although TBI medicine is not as well organized, the peer reviewed TBI literature does support similar evidence-based complementary therapies for the treatment of TBI. Several have been featured in prior posts in this blog, including yoga and other mindfulness based therapies, exercise therapies, dietary therapies (especially foods rich in ‘polyphenols” found in many fruits and vegetables) and promising supplements including melatonin and curcumin (found in tumeric, curcumin reduces the levels of two enzymes in the body that cause inflammation.)
Another supplement receiving increasing attention in the literature is resveratrol, a “phytoalexin” produced by plants such as the red grape in response to various stresses, which promotes disease resistance. Read More
So called “mild” traumatic brain injury (“mTBI”) can have long-term, disabling consequences (in both civilian and military populations);
that this injury is heterogeneous in both presentation and clinical outcome (in other words, every injury is different); and
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
In the first systematic review on this topic, researchers at the University of Texas report on growing consistent evidence that traumatic brain injury (TBI) changes the gut microbiome. Evaluating these changes, they conclude, will be a fertile ground for new therapeutic interventions. Read More
Funded by the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire, a group of researchers at Dartmouth assessed the effectiveness of the program by conducting semi-structured interviews of 13 participants with traumatic brain injury and 3 caregivers who had completed the 6 week, 6 session program. The results are published in the February, 2019 issue of Disability Rehabilitation.
Kevin Pearce, a Vermont resident and world leading professional snowboarder, suffered a near fatal traumatic brain injury while training for the 2010 winter Olympics. Kevin’s remarkable resilience since his injury has inspired millions through the award-winning HBO documentary, The Crash Reel. Read More
There’s promising research on the use of melatonin for acute treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and for treatment of sleep disturbance following TBI coming from two recent peer-reviewed papers. One, published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, reviews the literature and performs meta-analyses of the data in studies examining the use of melatonin shortly after injury.
Canadian researchers assessed 236 individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury at 4, 8 and 12 months following injury. The results confirm prior studies showing that depression in very prevalent following TBI. Read More
