Examining changes in rodent temperament following repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in adolescence.

Mild traumatic brain injuries are known to cause a host of symptoms, including headaches, nausea, and depression, that when persistent, are known as postconcussive syndrome. In addition to these overt symptomologies, individuals may experience changes in day-to-day behavior or temperament, which although not meeting criteria for postconcussive diagnosis, does cause distress to the individual. The aim of this study was to determine whether we could measure temperament in a rat and, if so, determine whether temperament is altered in response to repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries (RmTBI).

Investigating the cumulative effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and repetitive mild traumatic brain injury on adolescent rats.

The prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury is highest amongst the adolescent population and can lead to complications including neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity. Also pervasive in adolescents is recreational cannabis use. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, is known to have anti-inflammatory properties and serves as a neuroprotective agent against excitotoxicity.

A Bump on the Head or Late to Bed: Behavioral and Pathophysiological Effects of Sleep Deprivation after Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Adolescent Rats.

An old wives' tale, and strongly held dogma, maintains that one should be kept awake after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) to prevent a coma. This, however, conflicts with the known benefits of sleep: repair and restoration. We therefore sought to examine the effects of sleep deprivation (SD) in the post-traumatic sleep period on post-concussion symptomology (PCS).