Concussion and the Autonomic, Immune, and Endocrine Systems: An Introduction to the Field and a Treatment Framework for Persisting Symptoms.

A significant proportion of patients who sustain a concussion/mild traumatic brain injury endorse persisting, lingering symptoms. The symptoms associated with concussion are nonspecific, and many other medical conditions present with similar symptoms. Medical conditions that overlap symptomatically with concussion include anxiety, depression, insomnia, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and cervical strain injuries.

The Acceptability of Relationship-Centered Communication Partner Training for Couples Impacted by Aphasia: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Investigation.

Purpose: This study explored the acceptability and impact of relationship-centered communication partner training (RC-CPT) in couples impacted by aphasia. In particular, couples considered whether discussing their relationship roles and responsibilities was important and relevant to the changes they desire. Preliminary quasi-experimental data regarding perceived communication confidence and the marriage relationship were also obtained.

Post-Concussion Acute Signs and Reliable Cognitive Decline in a Finnish Youth Ice Hockey Sample.

Objective: In sports concussion research, the importance of an individualized approach incorporating neuropsychological assessment data has been emphasized. This study examined the impact of acute signs of concussion on post-injury cognitive functioning using reliable change methodology in a sample of Finnish, elite-level, youth ice hockey players.

Methods: From a sample of 1,823 players (all male, 14-20 years old) who completed preseason baseline testing with the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT®) battery, two subgroups were identified.

Adolescent athletes with learning disability display atypical maturational trajectories on concussion baseline testing: Implications based on a Finnish sample.

Previous research has reported lower cognitive test scores on baseline testing in athletes reporting multiple previous concussions or a history of learning disability (LD). Age also has an important influence on cognitive performance. While these factors have been considered individually in previous studies, the present study is the first to explore the interaction of age, self-reported LD, and history of concussion on baseline Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT®) in a nationwide study of adolescent athletes.

Concussion and the autonomic nervous system: An introduction to the field and the results of a systematic review.

Background: Recent evidence suggests that autonomic nervous dysfunction may be one of many potential factors contributing to persisting post-concussion symptoms.

Objective: This is the first systematic review to explore the impact of concussion on multiple aspects of autonomic nervous system functioning.

Methods: The methods employed are in compliance with the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and PRISMA standards.

Reaffirmed limitations of meta-analytic methods in the study of mild traumatic brain injury: a response to Rohling et al.

In 2009 Pertab, James, and Bigler published a critique of two prior meta-analyses by Binder, Rohling, and Larrabee (1997) and Frencham, Fox, and Maybery (2005) that showed small effect size difference at least 3 months post-injury in individuals who had sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The Binder et al. and Frencham et al.

Brain imaging correlates of verbal working memory in children following traumatic brain injury.

Neural correlates of working memory (WM) based on the Sternberg Item Recognition Task (SIRT) were assessed in 40 children with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) compared to 41 demographically-comparable children with orthopedic injury (OI). Multiple magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods assessed structural and functional brain correlates of WM, including volumetric and cortical thickness measures on all children; functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were performed on a subset of children. Confirming previous findings, children with TBI had decreased cortical thickness and volume as compared to the OI group.

Limitations of mild traumatic brain injury meta-analyses.

Primary Objective: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) meta-analyses are sometimes cited as evidence that by 3 months post-injury the clinical effects are insignificant. In contrast to these conclusions are findings that long-term mTBI outcome can vary depending on (1) the mechanism of the injury, (2) which diagnostic criteria are employed, (3) which assessment tools utilized and (4) whether symptomatic groups are considered separately.

Research Design: The present study was designed to clarify opposing conclusions in the mTBI literature by re-analysing meta-analytic datasets.