Mild Traumatic Brain Injury/ Concussion Flashcards
When diagnosing mTBI (Concussion) what is the:
- GCS score?
- LOC time length?
- PTA time length?
- Acute abnormalities on neuroimaging (yes or no?)
- GCS score: 13-15
- LOC time length: 0 - 30 min
- PTA time length: <24 hour
- Acute abnormalities on neuroimaging: no
How is a concussion clinically diagnosed?
Based on sign & symptoms
Name some common causes of Mild TBI
- Sports injures
- Military injuries
- Falls, MVA, assault
in regards to the mTBI pathophysiology:
T/F: there is a decreased cerebral metabolism and an increased cerebral blood flow
False:
- Increased cerebral metabolism
- Decreased cerebral blood flow
in regards to the mTBI pathophysiology:
T/F: Microstructural changes leading to disruption of typical neural circuits occur. And there is a dysregulation of sodium potassium pumps.
True
in regards to the mTBI pathophysiology:
T/F: There is altered neurotransmitter release and an example of this is a decrease in excitatory neurotransmitters such as glutamate.
False
- There is altered neurotransmitter release but there is an increase in glutamate
What are the 4 domain of mTBI symptoms?
- Cervical musculature impairments
- vestibule-ocular impairments
- autonomic dysfunction & exertional intolerance
- motor function impairments
Name some cervical musculature impairments
- Neck pain
- headaches
- dizziness
- Impaired postural control
- Limited proprioceptive inputs
Name some vestibulo-ocular impairments
- vertigo
- blurred vision
- light sensitivity
- headaches
- sensitivity to sound
- balance impairments
- fatigue
- tinnitus
What are some symptoms of autonomic dysfunction & exertional intolerance?
- Pounding headache
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Increasing symptoms w/ activity
Exercise intolerance is a physiological sign of (chronic or acute) concussion.
Acute
What does poor autonomic regulation present as post concussion?
- Inability to regulate HR, BP, cerebral blood flow in response to exercise/activity/positional changes
- impaired cerebral metabolism & altered cerebrovascular physiology
Name some motor function impairments
- Impairments in postural control
- limited motor coordination
- Impaired dual task motor abilites
- Increased reaction time
- Increased risk of musculoskeletal injuries
What is the typical course of prognosis of mTBI?
- Symptom resolution usually occurs within 7-10 days
- Unclear percentage of individual present with residual impairments
What is the prognosis of persistent post-concussion symptoms?
- Residual symptoms (>4 weeks in children & > 14 days in adults)
What are some baseline risk factors that might indicate a slower recovery?
- Younger
- Female
- Prior concussion history
- Migraine history
- ADHD diagnosis
- genetic factors
- Psychosocial factors
What are some injury severity factors that may indicate a slower recovery?
- PTA
- LOC
- Delayed removal from sports
What are some post injury related factors that increase recovery time?
- Vestibular-ocular findings
- Exervise intolerance/autonomic dysregulation
- Total Rest vs Relative Rest vs Acute Rehab
What are some psychological & sociological resilience factors that indicate a better recovery?
- Strong social support
- Higher SSE
- Higher educational level
- High self-efficacy
- Positive beliefs
- Resilience
- Good general health
- Positive health behaviors
What are some psychological & social vulnerabilities that indicate a slower recovery?
- Low self efficacy
- Comorbid health conditions
- anxiety
- depression
- poor coping strategies
- lower SSE
- poor health behaviors at baseline (sedentary, poor nutrition, poor sleep hygiene)
What is second impact syndrome?
- second concussion before a patient has fully recovered from the first
- can have devastating effects
What are the pathophysiological effects of second impact syndrome?
- Cerebral edema & cerebral metabolism has not returned to baseline
- Brain is unable to regulate intracranial & cerebral perfusion pressures, resulting in resulting in rapid accumulation of edema & brain herniation