Longitudinal trajectories and risk factors for persistent postconcussion symptom reporting following uncomplicated mild traumatic brain injury in U.S. Military service members.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine individual postconcussion symptom [PCSx] trajectories following mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), and to examine risk factors for persistent PCSx reporting.

Method: Participants were 138 U.S.

A Novel Intervention Platform for Service Members With Subjective Cognitive Complaints: Implementation, Patient Participation, and Satisfaction.

Introduction: Program overview of a novel cognitive training platform at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) for service members with subjective cognitive complaints: analysis of patient participation, satisfaction with the program, and perceived areas of improvement.

Materials And Method: Retrospective review of 1,030 participants from November 2008 through May 2017. Data were obtained within an approved protocol (WRNMMC-EDO-2017-0004/# 876230).

Altered modulation of beta band oscillations during memory encoding is predictive of lower subsequent recognition performance in post-traumatic stress disorder.

We studied the relationship between electrophysiological markers of memory encoding, subsequent recognition performance, and severity of PTSD symptoms in service members with combat exposure (n = 40, age: 41.2 ± 7.2 years) and various levels of PTSD symptom severity assessed using the PTSD Check List for DSM V version (PCL-5).

Blast traumatic brain injury and serum inflammatory cytokines: a repeated measures case-control study among U.S. military service members.

Background: There is a paucity of human data on exposure to blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI) and the corresponding systemic cytokine immune response at later time points (i.e., months, years) post-injury.

The Community Balance and Mobility Scale: Detecting Impairments in Military Service Members With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the utility of the Community Balance and Mobility scale (CB&M) among service members presenting with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), to compare the results against well-established balance assessments, and to find a new military-specific CB&M cut score to help differentiate those with and without mTBI.

Materials And Methods: The setting was a 4-week, intensive-outpatient, interdisciplinary program for active duty service members with mTBI. This was a nonrandomized, cross-sectional design that compared multiple measures between two groups: active duty service members with (n = 45) and without (n = 45) mTBI.

Clinical utility of WAIS-IV 'excessive decline from premorbid functioning' scores to detect invalid test performance following traumatic brain injury.

Excessive Decline from Premorbid Functioning (EDPF), an atypical discrepancy between demographically predicted and obtained Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-4th Edition (WAIS-IV) scores, has been recently proposed as a potential embedded performance validity test (PVT). This study examined the clinical utility of EDPF scores to detect invalid test performance following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Participants were 194 U.

United States Military Service Members Demonstrate Substantial and Heterogeneous Long-Term Neuropsychological Dysfunction after Moderate, Severe, and Penetrating Traumatic Brain Injury.

The objective of the study was to examine long-term neuropsychological outcome after moderate, severe, and penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI) in U.S. military service members and veterans (SMVs).

Estimating premorbid intelligence in persons with traumatic brain injury: an examination of the Test of Premorbid Functioning.

Knowledge of intelligence is essential for interpreting cognitive performance following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Test of Premorbid Functioning (ToPF), a word reading test co-normed with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 4 Edition (WAIS-IV), was examined as a tool for estimating premorbid intelligence in persons with a history of TBI. Fifty-two participants with mild, moderate, or severe TBI were administered the ToPF and WAIS-IV between two weeks and 19 months post-injury.

Unique Features of the US Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Concussion Clinics.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) actively address care needs for a subset of service members (SMs) who experience prolonged symptoms and adverse sequelae interfering with their usual level of function after sustaining mild traumatic brain injury. The development of multidisciplinary concussion clinics and implementation of several reinforcing policies within the DoD and the VA address this unique patient population. A network known as the National Intrepid Center of Excellence and Intrepid Spirit Centers and the VA, primarily support these patients through intensive outpatient programs.

Examination of the effects of impulsivity and risk-taking propensity on alcohol use in OEF/OIF/OND Veterans.

Introduction: A strong association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and problematic alcohol use has been demonstrated among Veteran populations exposed to combat trauma. Several traits, such as higher levels of risk-taking propensity (RTP) and impulsivity (e.g.

Concurrent Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is Associated With Elevated Tau Concentrations in Peripheral Blood Plasma.

Concurrent mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common in U.S. military service members and veterans.

Comparing Composite Scores for the ANAM4 TBI-MIL for Research in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objective: The Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (Version 4) Traumatic Brain Injury Military (ANAM4 TBI-MIL) is commonly administered among U.S. service members both pre-deployment and following TBI.

Prospective Memory in Service Members with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Introduction: Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember the intention to perform an action in the future. Following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), the brain structures supporting such PM may be compromised. PM is essential for remembering activities specific to TBI survivors that promote recovery, such as following doctors' orders, taking necessary medications, completing physical rehabilitation exercises, and maintaining supportive social relationships.

Long-term neurobehavioural symptom reporting following mild, moderate, severe, and penetrating traumatic brain injury in U.S. military service members.

The purpose of this study was to examine long-term neurobehavioural symptom reporting following mild, moderate, severe, or penetrating TBI in U.S. military service members and veterans (SMV).

Cortical thinning in military blast compared to non-blast persistent mild traumatic brain injuries.

In the military, explosive blasts are a significant cause of mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs). The symptoms associated with blast mTBIs causes significant economic burdens and a diminished quality of life for many service members. At present, the distinction of the injury mechanism (blast versus non-blast) may not influence TBI diagnosis.

Postconcussion symptom reporting is not associated with diffusion tensor imaging findings in the subacute to chronic phase of recovery in military service members following mild traumatic brain injury.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between white matter integrity of the brain and postconcussion symptom reporting following mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).

Method: Participants were 109 U.S.

Evaluating visual analytics for health informatics applications: a systematic review from the American Medical Informatics Association Visual Analytics Working Group Task Force on Evaluation.

Objective: This article reports results from a systematic literature review related to the evaluation of data visualizations and visual analytics technologies within the health informatics domain. The review aims to (1) characterize the variety of evaluation methods used within the health informatics community and (2) identify best practices.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines.

Plasma Tau and Amyloid Are Not Reliably Related to Injury Characteristics, Neuropsychological Performance, or White Matter Integrity in Service Members with a History of Traumatic Brain Injury.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between plasma tau and amyloid beta-42 (Aβ42), neuropsychological functioning, and white matter integrity in U.S. military service members with ( = 155) and without ( = 42) a history of uncomplicated mild ( = 83), complicated mild ( = 26), or moderate, severe, or penetrating ( = 46) traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Bridging the Clinic to Community: Music Performance as Social Transformation for Military Service Members.

The use of music performance in music therapy with military service members is discussed as a vehicle for social transformation and reintegration. The use of performance in music therapy is not without controversy primarily because therapy is considered a process, not a product, and confidentiality and privacy are essential components of therapy. However, others have argued that public performances can validate therapeutic changes in clients, give voice to their experiences, raise awareness of social issues within their communities, transform perceptions of injury, or illness in audience members, and may result in the clients gaining support and validation from their communities.

Assessment of Brain Venous Structure in Military Traumatic Brain Injury Patients using Susceptibility Weighted Imaging and Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping.

Brain venous volume above the lateral ventricle in military patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) was assessed using two segmentation approaches on susceptibility weighted images (SWI) and quantitative susceptibility maps (QSM). This retrospective study included a total of 147 subjects: 14 patients with severe TBI; 38 patients with moderate TBI, 58 patients with mild TBI (28 with blast-related injuries and 30 with non-blast-related injuries), and 37 control subjects without history of TBI. Using the multiscale vessel enhancement filter on SWI images, patients with severe TBI demonstrated significantly higher segmented venous volumes compared with controls.

Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of CI Therapy for Rehabilitation of Upper Extremity Motor Deficit: The Bringing Rehabilitation to American Veterans Everywhere Project.

Constraint-induced movement therapy (CI therapy) has been shown to reduce disability for individuals with upper extremity (UE) hemiparesis following different neurologic injuries. This article describes the study design and methodological considerations of the Bringing Rehabilitation to American Veterans Everywhere (BRAVE) Project, a randomized controlled trial of CI therapy to improve the motor deficit of participants with chronic and subacute traumatic brain injury. Our CI therapy protocol comprises 4 major components: (1) intensive training of the more-affected UE for target of 3 hour/day for 10 consecutive weekdays, (2) a behavioral technique termed shaping during training, (3) a "transfer package," 0.

Service needs and health outcomes among caregivers of service members and veterans following TBI.

Purpose/objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the (a) prevalence of unmet caregiver needs across eight health care and social service needs and the (b) impact of unmet needs on caregiver health and appraisal outcomes. Research Method/Design: Participants were 264 caregivers (95.8% female; 85.