Researchers look at long-term effect of brain injury

Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s presented their study on the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) recently at the Association of Academic Physiatrists in Las Vegas. The study, which looked at multiple patients on an average of seven years following TBI showed that people with mild to moderate brain injuries are twice as likely to […]

Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s presented their study on the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury(TBI) recently at the Association of Academic Physiatrists in Las Vegas.

The study, which looked at multiple patients on an average of seven years following TBI showed that people with mild to moderate brain injuries are twice as likely to develop attention problems such as ADHD and those with severe head injuries are five times more likely.

But, their research also concluded that a child’s environment influences the development of the attention problems.

“Parenting and the home environment exert a powerful influence on recovery,” the study revealed. “Children with severe TBI in optimal environments may show few effects of their injuries while children with milder injuries from disadvantaged or chaotic homes often demonstrate persistent problems.”

According to an article in Science Daily, early family response is important for long-term outcomes, which suggests that effective parenting plays a key role in a child’s progress following a brain injury.

“More than 630,000 children and teenagers in the United States are treated in emergency rooms for TBI each year. But predictors of recovery following TBI, particularly the roles of genes and environment, are unclear,” the article reads.

The environmental factors outlined by the study included parenting practices, the home environment, how the family functions and the family’s socioeconomic status.

“Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s are working to identify genes important to recovery after TBI and understand how these genes may interact with environmental factors to influence recovery.”

The researchers collected DNA samples from more than 330 children and tested outcomes at 3,6, and 12-months following a traumatic brain injury.

“Using neuroimaging and other technologies, scientists are also learning more about brain structure and connectivity related to persistent symptoms after TBI,” the article reads.

Investigators at Cincinnati Children’s have conducted a series of studies to develop and test interventions to improve cognitive and behavioral outcomes following pediatric brain injury.