Awareness of Deficit After Combat-related Brain Injury

VA Office of Research and Development

Status: Completed

Conditions: Veterans; Traumatic Brain Injury

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT00478400

H-2006-0256 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

NEUC-029-06S

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will use MRI imaging, cognitive testing and outcome questionnaires to determine how the brain recovers and reorganizes after an injury.

Full description

The extent of recovery from brain injury is often difficult to predict because of our limited understanding of how the brain changes as it heals. New brain imaging methods may help in this regard. One imaging technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has made it possible to study the brain "at work"; that is, we can see regions of the brain that are active during particular tasks such as focusing attention, making decisions, or remembering words and pictures. Another MRI method called diffusion tensor imaging provides information on the pathways between brain regions that may be altered with brain injury.

The goals of this research are to 1) determine the brain regions involved in making accurate judgments about one's abilities and disabilities after a brain injury and whether damage to these brain areas affects outcome; and 2) examine how recovery of cognitive and physical abilities relates to changes in brain function over time. In order to accomplish the first goal we will recruit Veterans who have sustained a head injury and matched control subjects. For the second goal, we are asking patients and controls who have previously participated in brain injury research with our lab to come back for another visit at three years post-injury.

Enrollment: 100 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 55 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• History of traumatic brain injury at least 12 months prior to enrollment
• Control Group: No history of traumatic brain injury

Exclusion criteria

• Claustrophobia
• Metallic or electronic implants or devices that are not MRI-safe
• Foreign metal, such as shrapnel, in the body

Trial design

100 participants in 4 patient groups

Participants who have had a TBI

Description:

(recruited by invitation only) 1. Must be between 1- and 6-years post-injury 2. Closed head injury 3. Evidence of loss of consciousness 4. Must have an informant (friend, spouse, child etc.) 5. Audit-C \< 7, PCL \< 65 and PHQ-9 \< 15

Participants with No history of TBI

Description:

(Recruited by invitation only) 1. No history of TBI 2. Must have an informant (friend, spouse, child etc.)

Veterans with History of TBI

Description:

1. Must be between 1- and 6-years post-injury 2. Closed head injury 3. Evidence of loss of consciousness 4. Must have an informant (friend, spouse, child etc.) 5. Audit-C \< 7, PCL \< 65 and PHQ-9 \< 15

US Veterans with No history of TBI

Description:

1. No history of TBI 2. Must have an informant (friend, spouse, child etc.)