Objective: To provide a systematic review of published interventions for posttraumatic brain injury fatigue (PTBIF).

Methods: PubMed and OneSearch were systematically searched for PTBIF interventions published between January 1, 1989, and March 31, 2019. Search results were evaluated for inclusion based on an abstract and full-text review. Inclusion criteria were (1) an investigation of an intervention, (2) participant sample including individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), (3) report of fatigue outcome data among individuals with TBI, and (4) articles available in English, Spanish, French, German, Afrikaans, or Dutch. A risk of bias assessment was conducted on all included publications.

Results: The search resulted in 2343 publications, with 37 meeting inclusion criteria for this review. Categories of PTBIF interventions were pharmacological (n = 13), psychological (n = 9), exercise-based (n = 4), complementary alternative medicine (n = 5), electrotherapeutic (n = 3), and multimodal (n = 3). Only methylphenidate, modafinil, and cognitive behavioral therapy interventions included multiple cohorts. Pharmacological and psychological interventions represented the groups with the lowest risk of bias.

Conclusions: This review includes 37 studies, with 21 studies published after 2014. Methylphenidate and melatonin were the only pharmacological agents found to reduce fatigue in randomized controlled trials. Creatine given to children prospectively at onset of injury reduced fatigue at follow-up. Walking and water aerobics were effective exercise interventions in isolated randomized controlled studies. One multimodal study of children after concussion was more effective at reducing fatigue and postconcussion symptoms than community standard of care. Other interventions had equivocal results. Overall, more work remains to understand and develop treatments for PTBIF.

Objective: To determine the incidence of and assess risk factors for repetitive traumatic brain injury (TBI) among older adults in the United States.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Administrative claims data obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse.

Participants: Individuals 65 years or older and diagnosed with TBI between July 2008 and September 2012 drawn from a 5% random sample of US Medicare beneficiaries.

Main Measures: Repetitive TBI was identified as a second TBI occurring at least 90 days after the first occurrence of TBI following an 18-month TBI-free period. We identified factors associated with repetitive TBI using a log-binomial model.

Results: A total of 38 064 older Medicare beneficiaries experienced a TBI. Of these, 4562 (12%) beneficiaries sustained at least one subsequent TBI over up to 5 years of follow-up. The unadjusted incidence rate of repetitive TBI was 3022 (95% CI, 2935-3111) per 100 000 person-years. Epilepsy was the strongest predictor of repetitive TBI (relative risk [RR] = 1.44; 95% CI, 1.25-1.56), followed by Alzheimer disease and related dementias (RR = 1.32; 95% CI 1.20-1.45), and depression (RR = 1.30; 95% CI, 1.21-1.38).

Conclusions: Injury prevention and fall-reduction interventions could be targeted to identify groups of older adults at an increased risk of repetitive head injury. Future work should focus on injury-reduction initiatives to reduce the risk of repetitive TBI as well as assessment of outcomes related to repetitive TBI.

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms are common following traumatic brain injury (TBI), but their etiological onset remains unclear. Mental health research implicates neuroinflammation in the development of psychiatric disorders. The presence of neuroinflammatory responses after TBI thus prompts an investigation of their involvement in the emergence of neuropsychiatric disorders postinjury.

Objective: Review the literature surrounding the role of neuroinflammation and immune response post-TBI in the development of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Methods: A search of scientific databases was conducted for original, empirical studies in human subjects. Key words such as "neuroinflammation," "TBI," and "depression" were used to identify psychopathology as an outcome TBI and the relation to neuroinflammatory response.

Results: Study results provide evidence of neuroinflammation mediated post-TBI neuropsychiatric disorders including anxiety, trauma/stress, and depression. Inflammatory processes and stress response dysregulation can lead to secondary cell damage, which promote the development and maintenance of neuropsychiatric disorders postinjury.

Conclusion: This review identifies both theoretical and empirical support for neuroinflammatory response as feasible mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders after TBI. Further understanding of these processes in this context has significant clinical implications for guiding the development of novel treatments to reduce psychiatric symptoms postinjury. Future directions to address current limitations in the literature are discussed.

Objectives: Comprehensive review of existing types and effectiveness of community-based interventions delivered to adults (mean age 18-65 years) with long-lasting (>=6 months) difficulties following acquired brain injury (ABI).

Design: Systematic review of controlled intervention studies published until February 2021.

Main Measures: Systematic searches in databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects [Cochrane Library], and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials [Cochrane Library]) and inclusion of English peer-reviewed full-text articles; randomized or controlled community-based intervention studies; sample size of 20 or more participants; and 3 or more intervention sessions. Two reviewers independently extracted data for the synthesis and assessed the methodological quality. Data extraction included study characteristics, demographics of participants, content and dose of intervention, outcome measures, and findings.

Result: The search returned 7386 publications, of which 49 eligible studies were included, revealing a diverse range of community-based interventions and a myriad of outcome measures applied for assessing functional capacities, participation, and quality of life in the chronic phase of ABI. Intervention types encompassed 14 holistic, 23 physical, and 12 specific interventions. A large heterogeneity regarding intervention frequency and intensity was found. Meta-analyses performed on the holistic, physical, and specific interventions did not indicate any significant pooled effects but showed highly variable effects between individuals, both in persons with traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries.

Conclusions: Because of lack of pooled effects within types of community-based interventions, specific evidence-based recommendations within holistic, physical, and specific interventions designed to mitigate long-lasting ABI problems cannot be made. This review highlights the need for future studies to address methodological issues concerning larger sample size, lack of clear description interventions and comparator, missing reports of effects in change scores, need for consistent use of recommended outcome measures, and investigating the wide variety in intervention responsiveness among participants with ABI. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO (CRD42019124949).

Objective: To examine child behavior change scores from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of parent interventions for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were searched to identify studies that examined parent interventions for pediatric TBI. Inclusion criteria included (i) a parent intervention for children with TBI; (ii) an RCT study design; (iii) statistical data for child behavior outcome(s); and (iv) studies that were published in English.

Results: Seven studies met inclusion criteria. All interventions reported improved child behavior after pediatric TBI; however, child and parent factors contributed to behavior change scores in some interventions. Factors found to contribute to the level of benefit included age of child, baseline behavior levels, sociodemographics (eg, parent income, parent education), and parent mental health.

Conclusion: Improved child behavior outcomes resulting from parent interventions for pediatric TBI are well supported by the evidence in the peer-reviewed literature. Clinicians are encouraged to consider child and parent factors as they relate to child behavior outcomes.

Objective: This review aimed to (1) summarize the existing literature regarding cognitive outcomes in adults with a history of pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and (2) identify gaps in the literature to provide directions for future research.

Participants: Participants sustained mTBI in childhood (0-17 years of age) and underwent cognitive assessment in adulthood (older than 18 years) at least 1 year postinjury.

Design: MEDLINE Ovid and PsycINFO Ovid databases were searched to identify original research studies that examined adult cognitive outcomes after childhood mTBI.

Main Measures: Cognitive outcome measures assessed memory, attention, visuospatial abilities, processing speed, comprehension, reasoning, intellectual functioning, and executive functioning. Outcome measures ranged from self-reported cognitive symptoms to objective testing.

Results: A total of 4216 articles were screened, leading to the inclusion of 6 published studies for review (3 prospective cohort and 3 retrospective cohort), with 131 537 participants (mTBI = 6724; controls = 123 823). Review of the included articles suggests that adults with a history of childhood mTBI perform within the average range expected for adult cognitive functioning, although they may perform more poorly than non-head-injured comparison groups on a variety of cognitive measures. Injury-related factors, such as requiring electroencephalography within 24 hours of injury and posttraumatic amnesia lasting longer than 30 minutes, may be associated with variability in adult cognitive outcomes.

Conclusion: The weight of the available evidence suggests that childhood mTBI does not have a significant impact on adult cognitive functioning. However, further research is needed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the long-term cognitive outcomes of childhood mTBI and to identify predictors of those outcomes in adulthood.

Background: Postconcussion symptoms (PCSs) are common complaints reported by patients after a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), and these symptoms may lower quality of life. Previous investigations have primarily focused on PCSs in children, adults, and athletes. The frequency, and risk factors, and effects of PCSs for older adults with mild TBIs are unclear.

Purpose: To investigate the frequency and risk factors of PCSs, and investigate their effects on quality of life over time after mild TBI in older adults.

Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was performed. All participants were enrolled from the emergency department or neurosurgical outpatient clinics of a medical center. The measurement tools were the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire and the Quality of Life after Traumatic Brain Injury. Measurements were performed on the seventh day, at the first month, and at the sixth month after the head injury. A generalized estimating equation model was used for data analyses.

Results: One hundred and one older adults (mean age of 76.0 years) with mild TBIs with negative neuroimaging findings were included. Overall, 32.7%, 4%, and 15.8% of the sample reported PCS after 7 days, 1 month, and 6 months of head injury, respectively, revealing a U-shaped trend. We observed that comorbidity measured using the modified Charlson Comorbidity Index was associated with differences in PCSs (P < .05). PCSs were an independent predictor of changes in postinjury quality of life (P < .001).

Conclusions: The results indicate that PCS after a mild TBI in older adults is prevalent, even in the chronic phase after a TBI, and PCSs significantly affected the quality of life of our cohort. Therefore, to improve patient quality of life, healthcare providers should employ effective interventions to manage PCSs at different phases after a TBI.

Objective: In this study, we investigate the preoperative and postoperative computed tomography (CT) scores in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients undergoing decompressive craniectomy (DC) and compare their predictive accuracy.

Methods: Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between CT score (preoperative and postoperative) and mortality at 30 days after injury. The discriminatory power of preoperative and postoperative CT score was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for the established predictors of TBI outcomes showed that preoperative Rotterdam CT score (odds ratio [OR], 3.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-11.50; P = 0.030), postoperative Rotterdam CT score (OR, 4.17; 95% CI, 1.63-10.66; P = 0.003), preoperative Stockholm CT score (OR, 3.41; 95% CI, 1.42-8.18; P = 0.006), postoperative Stockholm CT score (OR, 4.50; 95% CI, 1.60-12.64; P = 0.004), preoperative Helsinki CT score (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.03-2.02; P = 0.031), and postoperative Helsinki CT score (OR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.32-4.95; P = 0.005) were significantly associated with mortality. The performance of the postoperative Rotterdam CT score was superior to the preoperative Rotterdam CT score (AUC, 0.82-0.97 vs 0.71-0.91). The postoperative Stockholm CT score was superior to the preoperative Stockholm CT score (AUC, 0.76-0.94 vs 0.72-0.92). The postoperative Helsinki CT score was superior to the preoperative Helsinki CT score (AUC, 0.88-0.99 vs 0.65-0.87).

Conclusions: In conclusion, assessing the CT score before and after DC may be more precise and efficient for predicting early mortality in severe TBI patients who undergo DC.