mild traumatic brain injury

Structural abnormalities in children's brains persist in children and teens for months after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or concussion, even when symptoms have cleared and results on neurocognitive tests have returned to normal, finds a sobering new study in the Journal of Neuroscience.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has named MomsTEAM's expert sports concussion neuropsychologist Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, Ph.D., to its Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Panel of Expertm which will develop clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of mTBI.  

Emergency medicine provider use the 15-point Glasgow Coma Scale to determine level of consciousness based on responses to various stimuli.  Patients with suspected concussive injury are categorized  as having mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) if they score a 14-15 on on the GCS, but the scale is not useful in assessing the severity of concussion or how long recovery will take, so that the terms mTBI and concussion should not be used interchangeably, says William P. Meehan, III, MD, MomsTeam concussion medicine expert and author of Kids, Sports, and Concussions.

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) has awarded $1.1 million in research grants to advance the science of sports medicine - specifically related to concussion.

Recent studies suggest that mild TBI, including repetitive concussive and subconcussive brain trauma, can lead to devastating long-term or progressive symptoms (postconcussion syndrome), disability, and pathologic changes, especially in cases of repetitive concussion or mildTBI, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E.).

A 2011 study confirms that football is still responsible for the majority of concussions at the high school level and that the symptoms of concussion clear in most cases within one week, but also shows for the first time the important role computerized neuropsychological testing is playing in concussion assessment and return to play decisions.  

Traumatic brain injury takes such a toll on individuals and society that federal legislation to protect youth athletes from the devastating impact of sports-related concussion is needed, experts from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Football League (NFL) said at a Congressional briefing.

Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on the evaluation and treatment of sport-related concussions in children and adolescents based on the latest consensus of experts.

Labeling a child's head injury a "concussion" may convey the wrong message to parents, athletes and athletic trainers about its seriousness, say the authors of a 2010 Canadian study.