Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine - Volume 8, issue 4

Article Type: Editorial

DOI: 10.3233/PRM-150353

Citation: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 269-269, 2015

Authors: Kaldoja, Mari-Liis | Saard, Marianne | Lange, Kirsi | Raud, Triin | Teeveer, Ott-Kaarel | Kolk, Anneli

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: The number of children with different cognitive difficulties is constantly increasing. Still, too few evidence-based pediatric neurocognitive rehabilitation programs exist. The main aim of the study was to assess the efficiency and usability of computer-assisted FORAMENRehab program for training specific components of attention in children with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and partial epilepsy (PE). The second aim was to specify short- and long-term effects of the intervention. METHODS: Eight children between the ages of 9-12 years with attention impairment (3 with PE and 5 with mTBI) and 18 healthy controls participated. FORAMENRehab Attention software, adapted …by the authors, was used for intervention. Strict intervention protocol consisting of patients completing 10 sessions over a 6-week-period to train four components of attention (sustaining, focusing, dividing, tracking) was designed and applied. Follow-up assessments were conducted after the end of the last training and 1.63 years later. RESULTS: After the intervention patients' sustained and complex attention improved. Long-term follow-up revealed continuing positive rehabilitation effects. 100% compliance suggested that the used method is attractive for children. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results of the pilot study give reason to presume that the method is effective in attention impairment remediation. However, more thorough research is needed. Show more

Keywords: Pediatric rehabilitation, computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation, attention impairment, epilepsy, mild traumatic brain injury, FORAMENRehab

DOI: 10.3233/PRM-150346

Citation: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 271-283, 2015

Authors: Babcock, Lynn | Yuan, Weihong | Leach, James | Nash, Tiffany | Wade, Shari

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: PURPOSE: To examine acute alterations in white matter (WM) diffusion based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in youth with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) relative to orthopedic injury (OI) controls. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of 23 patients with mTBI and 20 OI controls ages 11-16 years were recruited from the emergency department (ED). DTI was performed within 96 hours. Voxel based analysis quantified group differences for DTI indices: fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). The Post Concussion Symptom Scale assessed symptom burden. RESULTS: Youth with mTBI had …significantly higher symptom burdens in the ED and at scanning than controls. The mTBI group had significantly higher levels of FA and AD in several WM regions including the middle temporal gyrus WM, superior temporal gyrus WM, anterior corona radiata, and superior longitudinal fasciculus. The mTBI group had significantly lower levels of MD and/or RD in a few WM regions including the middle frontal gyrus WM and anterior corona radiata. Diffusion alterations correlated poorly with acute symptom burden. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations of diffusivity were detected in spatially heterogeneous WM regions shortly after mTBI in youth. The pattern of alterations may reflect restrictive water diffusion in WM early post-injury. Show more

Keywords: Mild traumatic brain injury, child, diffusion tensor imaging, acute

DOI: 10.3233/PRM-150347

Citation: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 285-296, 2015

Authors: Westfall, Daniel R. | West, John D. | Bailey, Jessica N. | Arnold, Todd W. | Kersey, Patrick A. | Saykin, Andrew J. | McDonald, Brenna C.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: PURPOSE: The neural substrate of post-concussive symptoms following the initial injury period after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in pediatric populations remains poorly elucidated. This study examined neuropsychological, behavioral, and brain functioning in adolescents post-mTBI to assess whether persistent differences were detectable up to a year post-injury. METHODS: Nineteen adolescents on average 7.5 months post-mTBI completed neuropsychological testing and an fMRI auditory-verbal N-back working memory task. Parents completed behavioral ratings. The comparison group included 19 healthy controls matched to the mTBI group for demographic variables and N-back task performance. RESULTS: There were no between-group …differences for cognition or behavior ratings. The expected decreased accuracy and increased reaction time as N-back task difficulty increased were apparent. The mTBI group showed significantly greater brain activation than controls during the most difficult working memory load condition. CONCLUSION: Greater working memory task-related activation was found in adolescents up to one year post-mTBI relative to controls, potentially indicating compensatory activation to support normal task performance. Differences in brain activation in the mTBI group so long after injury may indicate residual alterations in brain function much later than would be expected based on the typical pattern of symptom recovery, which could have important clinical implications. Show more

Keywords: Concussion, mild traumatic brain injury, mTBI, pediatric, functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI, working memory

DOI: 10.3233/PRM-150348

Citation: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 297-308, 2015

Authors: Risen, S.R. | Barber, A.D. | Mostofsky, S.H. | Suskauer, S.J.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: PURPOSE: Functionally relevant alterations in resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) connectivity have been identified in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We evaluated rs-fMRI connectivity in children with TBI and explored the relationship between altered connectivity and measures of neurological function. METHODS: Rs-fMRI was obtained in 14 children after TBI and 14 controls matched for age, sex, and handedness. Whole-brain connectivity was evaluated separately for the default mode network (DMN) and dorsal attention network (DAN); Between-group contrasts identified regions with altered connectivity between TBI and control cohorts. In children with TBI, the relationships between regions of altered …connectivity and performance on relevant functional measures were examined. RESULTS: Compared to controls, children with TBI showed significantly greater connectivity between DMN and right dorsal premotor cortex (RdPM) and between DAN and bilateral sensorimotor cortex (SM1). In children with TBI, greater DMN-RdPM connectivity was associated with worse motor performance whereas greater DAN-LSM1 connectivity was associated with better motor performance; furthermore, DMN-RdPM and DAN-LSM1 connectivity were negatively correlated. CONCLUSION: Rs-fMRI reveals significant altered connectivity in children with TBI compared to controls. After TBI in children, patterns of altered connectivity appear divergent, with increased DMN-motor network connectivity associated with worse motor control whereas increased DAN-motor network connectivity appears compensatory. Show more

Keywords: TBI, pediatric, resting-state networks, fMRI

DOI: 10.3233/PRM-150349

Citation: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 309-319, 2015

Authors: Tlustos, Sarah J. | Peter Chiu, C.Y. | Walz, Nicolay C. | Wade, Shari L.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: PURPOSE: Disturbances of emotional regulation and social difficulties are common in children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recent research suggests that developments within ``socio-emotional'' brain systems during early adolescence and more protracted development of ``cognitive control'' systems have implications for emotional and behavioral regulation during adolescence. However, few functional neuroimaging studies have directly examined the interaction of these neuropsychological processes in adolescents with TBI. The current study examined how affective processing might modulate inhibitory processing in an Emotional Go/NoGo paradigm. METHOD: The study uses a cross-sectional, age, gender, and maternal education matched design. …A response inhibition paradigm (i.e., the Go/NoGo task with emotional faces) was used to examine emotional-cognition interaction in 11 adolescents with complicated mild to moderate TBI, at least 12 months post injury, and 14 typically-developing (TD) adolescents using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants saw adult facial expressions of emotions (happy, sad, fearful, and angry) and were instructed to respond (``go'') on all expressions other than angry (``no-go''). RESULTS: Preliminary results (p= 0.001 uncorrected, cluster size = 50) showed higher levels of inhibition-related activation in TD adolescents than in adolescents with TBI in several brain regions including anterior cingulate and motor/premotor regions. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that TBI in adolescence might alter brain activation patterns and interrupt the development of brain networks governing emotion-cognition interactions. Show more

Keywords: Childhood brain disorder, brain imaging, executive functions, head injury, emotion, adolescence

DOI: 10.3233/PRM-150350

Citation: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 321-333, 2015

Authors: Sambasivan, Krithika | Grilli, Lisa | Gagnon, Isabelle

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: PURPOSE: To compare the ability of clinical balance measures to detect differences between children recovered from a mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) and healthy controls. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, with twenty-six children with mTBI and twenty-two age-matched controls was conducted. Balance was evaluated on three scales: Bruininks- Osteresky Test-second edition; Balance Error Scoring System and Community Balance and Mobility Scale, along with gait analysis of three paradigms (self-selected paced walking, obstacle crossing and tandem walking), under single and dual-task conditions, using GAITRite\scriptsize® walkway. Independent sample t-tests (α = 0.05) were used to identify group …differences. Dual-Task Cost (DTC) was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and t-tests. Discriminant analysis predicted which balance measure best identified the groups. RESULTS: Children with mTBI performed worse on all balance scales (p< 0.05). Gait parameters were significantly better for the controls. There were no group differences on the motor and cognitive DTC. The Community Balance and Mobility Scale and gait parameters including velocity at obstacle crossing and parameters for tandem walking, best discriminated the groups. CONCLUSION: Clinical balance assessments may need to include static and dynamic measures, to capture possible performance difficulties. The inclusion of these measures will enhance clinical decision making and prevent premature return to physical activities in children with mTBI. Show more

Keywords: Balance, mobility or gait, children and adolescents, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, concussion

DOI: 10.3233/PRM-150351

Citation: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 335-344, 2015

Authors: Max, Jeffrey E. | Lopez, Aholibama | Wilde, Elisabeth A. | Bigler, Erin D. | Schachar, Russell J. | Saunders, Ann | Ewing-Cobbs, Linda | Chapman, Sandra B. | Yang, Tony T. | Levin, Harvey S.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The objective of this prospective longitudinal study was to assess the nature, rate, predictive variables, and neuroimaging characteristics of novel (new-onset) anxiety disorders (compared with no novel anxiety disorders) 6-12 months after pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Psychiatric and psychosocial interviews were administered to children who sustained mild to severe TBI at baseline (soon after injury) and at the 12-month follow-up post-injury (n= 125). The psychiatric outcome of children 12-months post-injury revealed that novel anxiety disorders present in the second six months after TBI were heterogeneous and occurred in 13 (10.4%) participants. Novel anxiety disorder was significantly associated with concurrent …novel depressive disorder and with novel personality change due to TBI. Novel anxiety disorder was marginally associated with younger age at injury and with pre-injury anxiety disorder in univariate analyses. Age at injury, pre-injury anxiety disorder, and personality change due to TBI were each significantly and independently related to novel anxiety disorder in a logistic regression analysis. There were no significant neuroimaging group differences. These findings suggest that the emergence of novel anxiety disorder after TBI might be related to a broader problem of affective dysregulation especially in younger children and those with a vulnerability even to pre-injury anxiety disorder. Show more

Keywords: Anxiety, traumatic brain injury, child and adolescent psychiatric disorders

DOI: 10.3233/PRM-150352

Citation: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 345-355, 2015

Article Type: Other

Citation: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 357-359, 2015

Article Type: Other

Citation: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 361-362, 2015