Accession Number:

ADA600945

Title:

Early Post Traumatic Seizures in Military Personnel Result in Long Term Disability

Descriptive Note:

Final rept. 15 Sep 2008-14 Sep 2013

Corporate Author:

CALIFORNIA UNIV LOS ANGELES SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Personal Author(s):

• Vespa, Paul M.

Report Date:

2013-10-01

Pagination or Media Count:

17.0

Abstract:

This study is predicated on substantial evidence that early post-traumatic seizures occur frequently and create a metabolic crisis that will lead to cell death of hippocampal tissue among persons who have sustained a traumatic brain injury TBI. Our central hypothesis is that early post-traumatic seizures are acutely injurious due to increases in intracranial pressure and acute edema of the hippocampus leading to delayed long term hippocampal atrophy. This represents a unique translational hypothesis that we are uniquely qualified to study. In this study we plan to perform continuous EEG monitoring of military and civilian TBI patients for the initial 7 days after TBI to assess for non-convulsive seizures. This is followed by evaluating these same subjects at 6 months after injury by volumetric MRI of the hippocampus and cognitive testing to assess for disturbances of memory-related cognition and post-traumatic stress. We have begun to study civilian TBI patients in year 1 and have worked on establishing methodology and connectivity and IRB permission at military sites in year 1.

Descriptors:

• *BRAIN
• *TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES
• ATROPHY
• COGNITION
• DEATH
• EDEMA
• ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY
• HIPPOCAMPUS
• METABOLISM
• PATIENTS
• WOUNDS AND INJURIES

Subject Categories:

• Medicine and Medical Research

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE