Traumatic Brain Injury, Abuse, and Poor Sustained Attention in Youth and Young Adults Who Previously Experienced Foster Care

Abstract Background: This research adds to scarce literature regarding adolescent experiences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Retrospective accounts of young adults who had sustained a TBI in adolescence were analysed to explore the perceived impact this had on their lives and forming identities during this important developmental stage. Methods: Thirteen adults (aged 20–25 years; mean 23 years) who sustained a mild or moderate TBI during adolescence (i.e. aged 13–17 years at injury), approximately 7.7 years (range = 6.7–8.0 years) prior, participated in the research. Semi-structured individual interviews, analysed using thematic analysis, explored participants’ experiences following their TBIs. Results: Thematic analysis of interview data produced two categories of themes: (1) Impacts on Important Areas of Life, which included: schoolwork suffered, career opportunities became limited, struggling with work and missing out socially; and (2) Impacts on Identity: with themes including feeling ‘stupid’, feeling self-conscious, loss of social identity and being dependent. Conclusions: TBI sustained during adolescence can have broad impacts on important areas of life and on developing identity.

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Exosomal MicroRNA Differential Expression in Plasma of Young Adults with Chronic Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Healthy Control

Biomedicines ◽

10.3390/biomedicines10010036 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 36

Author(s):

Rany Vorn ◽

Maiko Suarez ◽

Jacob C. White ◽

Carina A. Martin ◽

Hyung-Suk Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Young Adults ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Pathophysiological Mechanism ◽

Post Injury ◽

Persistent Symptoms ◽

Healthy Control ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

Chronic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has long-term consequences, such as neurological disability, but its pathophysiological mechanism is unknown. Exosomal microRNAs (exomiRNAs) may be important mediators of molecular and cellular changes involved in persistent symptoms after mTBI. We profiled exosomal microRNAs (exomiRNAs) in plasma from young adults with or without a chronic mTBI to decipher the underlying mechanisms of its long-lasting symptoms after mTBI. We identified 25 significantly dysregulated exomiRNAs in the chronic mTBI group (n = 29, with 4.48 mean years since the last injury) compared to controls (n = 11). These miRNAs are associated with pathways of neurological disease, organismal injury and abnormalities, and psychological disease. Dysregulation of these plasma exomiRNAs in chronic mTBI may indicate that neuronal inflammation can last long after the injury and result in enduring and persistent post-injury symptoms. These findings are useful for diagnosing and treating chronic mTBIs.

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Complications of head injury

Oxford Textbook of Neurological Surgery ◽

10.1093/med/9780198746706.003.0044 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 521-530

Author(s):

Fardad T. Afshari ◽

Antonio Belli ◽

Peter C Whitfield

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Young Adults ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Head Injury ◽

Older People ◽

Late Phase ◽

Late Complications ◽

Neuronal Tissue

Traumatic brain injury is a potentially devastating condition that affects many young adults and is increasingly seen in older people. In addition to initial insult to the neuronal tissue at the time injury, patients with traumatic brain injury may suffer from many physical and psychological complications. These complications further protract the path of recovery and pose challenges in treatment of this group of patients. In this chapter we aim to discuss early and late phase complications following traumatic brain injury and summarize the role of neurorehabilitation in the care of patients with head injury, with the understanding that classification by timing is an inexact science and there is considerable overlap between early and late complications.

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