Editorial

Studies of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Claudia S. Robertson1 and Claire E. Hulsebosch2

Of the more than 1.5 million people who experience a

traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year in the United States, as

many as 75 percent of the injuries are classified as mild TBI

(mTBI). mTBI is a frequent consequence of military blast injuries

as well as in sports injuries and may cause long-term or permanent

impairments and disabilities in a significant proportion of patients.

Also, the occurrence of an mTBI makes one more susceptible to

subsequent TBI or to secondary insults, such as hemorrhagic shock.

In the chronic phase, a proportion of patients who develop chronic

symptoms have been found to have hypothalamic-pituitary axis

dysfunction. Development of these complications can contribute to

a worsened neurological outcome.

Many of the studies in this issue were accomplished through

investigators united under Mission Connect, a consortium estab-

lished in 1997 to facilitate research to improve outcome from CNS

injury. The investigators have wide expertise involving the entire

spectrum of diagnosis and treatment of mTBI, from preclinical to

translational and from acute hospitalization through rehabilitation,

and have access to a large population of patients, both civilian and

military (through the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration

Medical Center [MEDVAMC]).

The long-term goal of the consortium is to improve the diagnosis

and treatment of mTBI through collaborative basic and clinical

research by experienced TBI investigators operating within an

existing cooperative framework. Gaps in our current knowledge of

mTBI that are addressed in the submitted articles include: devel-

opment/standardization of improved experimental models, devel-

opment of new diagnostic methods, and evaluation of new

therapeutic interventions.

The general organization of the special issues presents the clinical

overview of mTBI including ways to improve the diagnosis of mTBI

by more objective criteria in early post-injury period as well as in the

chronic condition, followed by specific clinical studies that test loss of

function, which are detailed in this issue. Animal modeling issues of

mTBI then follow, utilizing clinically relevant neurobehavioral end-

points. Finally, several articles present the development of new and

innovative treatment strategies for mTBI and provide the groundwork

for preclinical testing of treatments found to improve outcome in an-

imal models (Volume 30, Number 9, May 1, 2013). We know you will

find the collection educational and insightful as we work collabora-

tively toward improved functional recovery after mild traumatic brain

injuries, both for military and civilian populations.

1Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.2Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA 30:609 (April 15, 2013)ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.DOI: 10.1089/neu.2013.9940

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