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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Kenji Dohi

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Guest Editor

Department of Emergency, Disaster and Critical Care Medicine, Showa University, Tokyo 142-0064, Japan
Interests: neuroprotection; critical care medicine; intensive care medicine

Dr. Yoichi Morofuji

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Guest Editor

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan
Interests: stroke; brain tumors; blood-brain barrier

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue "Targeted Diagnosis and Management of Traumatic Brain Injury" provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in the diagnosis and management of traumatic brain injury from the acute phase to the chronic phase. Traumatic brain injury is a major public health concern, affecting millions of people worldwide each year. This issue covers a wide range of topics, including prehospital care, emergency department management, neuroimaging, and rehabilitation. The articles are written by leading experts in the field and provide valuable insights into the latest techniques and technologies used in traumatic brain injury diagnosis and management.

We also seek to explore the challenges and opportunities in the field, including the use of biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, the role of neuroimaging in identifying and novel neuromonitoring brain injury, and the development of targeted rehabilitation protocols to improve outcomes for patients. This Special Issue will be of interest to neurologists, neurosurgeons, emergency medicine physicians, intensivists, rehabilitation specialists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients with traumatic brain injury.

Prof. Dr. Kenji Dohi
Dr. Yoichi Morofuji
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

traumatic brain injury
diagnosis
management
prehospital care
emergency department
neuroimaging
rehabilitation
biomarkers
intensive care medicine
neurocritical care
targeted rehabilitation protocols

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 4780 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Methylphenidate Ameliorates Behavioural and Neurobiological Deficits in Executive Function for Patients with Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury

by Alexander R. D. Peattie, Anne E. Manktelow, Barbara J. Sahakian, David K. Menon and Emmanuel A. Stamatakis

J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(3), 771; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jcm13030771 - 29 Jan 2024

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Abstract

(1) Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in cognitive impairments, including in visuospatial planning and executive function. Methylphenidate (MPh) demonstrates potential improvements in several cognitive domains in patients with TBI. The Tower of London (TOL) is a visuospatial planning task used to assess executive function. (2) Methods: Volunteers with a history of TBI (n = 16) participated in a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, fMRI study to investigate the neurobiological correlates of visuospatial planning and executive function, on and off MPh. (3) Results: Healthy controls (HCs) (n = 18) and patients on placebo (TBI-placebo) differed significantly in reaction time (p < 0.0005) and accuracy (p < 0.0001) when considering all task loads, but especially for high cognitive loads for reaction time (p < 0.001) and accuracy (p < 0.005). Across all task loads, TBI-MPh were more accurate than TBI-placebo (p < 0.05) but remained less accurate than HCs (p < 0.005). TBI-placebo substantially improved in accuracy with MPh administration (TBI-MPh) to a level statistically comparable to HCs at low (p = 0.443) and high (p = 0.175) cognitive loads. Further, individual patients that performed slower on placebo at low cognitive loads were faster with MPh (p < 0.05), while individual patients that performed less accurately on placebo were more accurate with MPh at both high and low cognitive loads (p < 0.005). TBI-placebo showed reduced activity in the bilateral inferior frontal gyri (IFG) and insulae versus HCs. MPh normalised these regional differences. MPh enhanced within-network connectivity (between parietal, striatal, insula, and cerebellar regions) and enhanced beyond-network connectivity (between parietal, thalamic, and cerebellar regions). Finally, individual changes in cerebellar-thalamic (p < 0.005) and cerebellar-parietal (p < 0.05) connectivity with MPh related to individual changes in accuracy with MPh. (4) Conclusions: This work highlights behavioural and neurofunctional differences between HCs and patients with chronic TBI, and that adverse differences may benefit from MPh treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Targeted Diagnosis and Management of Traumatic Brain Injury)

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Review

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14 pages, 2689 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Automated Infrared Pupillometry in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Narrative Review

by Charikleia S. Vrettou, Paraskevi C. Fragkou, Ioannis Mallios, Chrysanthi Barba, Charalambos Giannopoulos, Evdokia Gavrielatou and Ioanna Dimopoulou

J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(2), 614; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jcm13020614 - 22 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1041

Abstract

Pupillometry, an integral component of neurological examination, serves to evaluate both pupil size and reactivity. The conventional manual assessment exhibits inherent limitations, thereby necessitating the development of portable automated infrared pupillometers (PAIPs). Leveraging infrared technology, these devices provide an objective assessment, proving valuable in the context of brain injury for the detection of neuro-worsening and the facilitation of patient monitoring. In cases of mild brain trauma particularly, traditional methods face constraints. Conversely, in severe brain trauma scenarios, PAIPs contribute to neuro-prognostication and non-invasive neuromonitoring. Parameters derived from PAIPs exhibit correlations with changes in intracranial pressure. It is important to acknowledge, however, that PAIPs cannot replace invasive intracranial pressure monitoring while their widespread adoption awaits robust support from clinical studies. Ongoing research endeavors delve into the role of PAIPs in managing critical neuro-worsening in brain trauma patients, underscoring the non-invasive monitoring advantages while emphasizing the imperative for further clinical validation. Future advancements in this domain encompass sophisticated pupillary assessment tools and the integration of smartphone applications, emblematic of a continually evolving landscape. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Targeted Diagnosis and Management of Traumatic Brain Injury)

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