Neurocognitive correlates of probable posttraumatic stress disorder following traumatic brain injury

Introduction

Neurocognitive problems associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can interact with impairment resulting from traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Research question

We aimed to identify neurocognitive problems associated with probable PTSD following TBI in a civilian sample.

Material and methods

The study is part of the CENTER-TBI project (Collaborative European Neurotrauma Effectiveness Research) that aims to better characterize TBI. For this cross-sectional study, we included patients of all severities aged over 15, and a Glasgow Outcome Score Extended (GOSE) above 3. Participants were assessed at six months post-injury on the PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5), the Trail Making Test (TMT), the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Primary analysis was a complete case analysis. Regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between the PCL-5 and cognition.

Results

Of the 1134 participants included in the complete case analysis, 13.5% screened positive for PTSD. Probable PTSD was significantly associated with higher TMT-(B-A) (OR ​= ​1.35, 95% CI: 1.14–1.60, p ​< ​.001) and lower RAVLT-delayed recall scores (OR ​= ​0.74, 95% CI: 0.61–0.91, p ​= ​.004) after controlling for age, sex, psychiatric history, baseline Glasgow Coma Scale and education.

Discussion and conclusion

Poorer performance on cognitive tests assessing task switching and, to a lesser extent, delayed verbal recall is associated with probable PTSD in civilians who have suffered TBI.

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Six months after traumatic brain injury 13.5% of people screen positive for PTSD.

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Task switching performance and verbal memory are related to probable PTSD.

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PTSD severity is related to processing speed and task switching performance.

Risk factors and outcomes associated with post-traumatic headache after mild traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence and potential risk factors of acute and chronic post-traumatic headache (PTH) in patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a prospective longitudinal observational multicentre study. Acute PTH (aPTH) is defined by new or worsening of pre-existing headache occurring within 7 days after trauma, whereas chronic PTH (cPTH) is defined as persisting aPTH >3 months after trauma. An additional goal was to study the impact of aPTH and cPTH in terms of return to work (RTW), anxiety and depression.

METHODS

This was a prospective observational study conducted between January 2013 and February 2014 in three trauma centres in the Netherlands. Patients aged 16 years and older with a GCS score of 9-15 on admission to the ED, with loss of consciousness and/or amnesia were prospectively enrolled. Follow-up questionnaires were completed at 2 weeks and 3 months after injury with the Head Injury Symptom Checklist, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and RTW scale.

RESULTS

In total, 628 patients were enrolled in the study, 469 completed the 2-week questionnaire (75%) at 2 weeks and 409 (65%) at 3 months. At 2 weeks, 238 (51%) had developed aPTH and at 3 months 95 (23%) had developed cPTH. Female gender, younger age, headache immediately at the ED and CT scan abnormalities increased the risk for aPTH. Risk factors for cPTH were female gender and headache at the ED. Patients with cPTH were less likely to have returned to work than those without cPTH (35% vs 14%, P=0.001). Patients with aPTH and cPTH more often report anxiety (20% and 28%, P=0.001) and depression (19% and 28%, P=0.001) after trauma in comparison with the group without PTH (10% anxiety and 8% depression).

CONCLUSIONS

PTH is an important health problem with a significant impact on long-term outcome of TBI patients. Several risk factors were identified, which can aid in early identification of subjects at risk for PTH.