Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychopathic Traits in Justice-Involved Adult Women.

Studies have documented associations between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and mental disorders. The relationship between psychopathic personality and TBI remains poorly understood, though both are associated with similar characteristics (e.g., low empathy, aggression, disturbances in social/moral behavior). Yet, it is not clear whether assessment of psychopathic features is influenced by presence versus absence of TBI, and which aspects of TBI may be associated with psychopathic traits. This study examined the psychopathy-TBI association in justice-involved women (N = 341) with structural equation modeling. We tested if measurement invariance of psychopathic traits was evident among those with versus without TBI and which TBI variables (number, severity, age at first TBI) predicted psychopathic features in conjunction with symptoms of psychopathology, IQ, and age. Results provided evidence of measurement invariance, and more women with TBI, compared to those without, met criteria for psychopathy. Younger age of TBI and TBI severity predicted interpersonal-affective psychopathic features.

Machine learning classification of chronic traumatic brain injury using diffusion tensor imaging and NODDI: A replication and extension study.

Individuals with acute and chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI) are associated with unique white matter (WM) structural abnormalities, including fractional anisotropy (FA) differences. Our research group previously used FA as a feature in a linear support vector machine (SVM) pattern classifier, observing high classification between individuals with and without acute TBI (i.e., an area under the curve [AUC] value of 75.50%). However, it is not known whether FA could similarly classify between individuals with and without history of chronic TBI. Here, we attempted to replicate our previous work with a new sample, investigating whether FA could similarly classify between incarcerated men with (n = 80) and without (n = 80) self-reported history of chronic TBI. Additionally, given limitations associated with FA, including underestimation of FA values in WM tracts containing crossing fibers, we extended upon our previous study by incorporating neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) metrics, including orientation dispersion (ODI) and isotropic volume (Viso). A linear SVM based classification approach, similar to our previous study, was incorporated here to classify between individuals with and without self-reported chronic TBI using FA and NODDI metrics as separate features. Overall classification rates were similar when incorporating FA and NODDI ODI metrics as features (AUC: 82.50%). Additionally, NODDI-based metrics provided the highest sensitivity (ODI: 85.00%) and specificity (Viso: 82.50%) rates. The current study serves as a replication and extension of our previous study, observing that multiple diffusion MRI metrics can reliably classify between individuals with and without self-reported history of chronic TBI.

Systemic Inflammation Persists the First Year after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Results from the Prospective Trondheim Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Study.

Innate immune activation has been attributed a key role in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and successive morbidity. In mild TBI (mTBI), however, the extent and persistence of innate immune activation are unknown. We determined plasma cytokine level changes over 12 months after an mTBI in hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients compared with community controls; and examined their associations to injury-related and demographic variables at admission. Prospectively, 207 patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) or general practitioner with clinically confirmed mTBI and 82 matched community controls were included. Plasma samples were obtained at admission, after 2 weeks, 3 months, and 12 months. Cytokine levels were analysed with a 27-plex beads-based immunoassay. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on all participants. Twelve cytokines were reliably detected. Plasma levels of interferon gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin 8 (IL-8), eotaxin, macrophage inflammatory protein-1-beta (MIP-1ß), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), IL-17A, IL-9, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-basic) were significantly increased at all time-points in patients compared with controls, whereas IFN-γ-inducing protein 10 (IP-10), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and IL-1ra were not. IL-17A and FGF-basic showed significant increases in patients from admission to follow-up at 3 months, and remained increased at 12 months compared with admission. Interestingly, MRI findings were negatively associated with four cytokines: eotaxin, MIP-1ß, IL-9, and IP-10, whereas age was positively associated with nine cytokines: IL-8, eotaxin, MIP-1ß, MCP-1, IL-17A, IL-9, TNF, FGF-basic, and IL-1ra. TNF was also increased in those with presence of other injuries. In conclusion, mTBI activated the innate immune system consistently and this is the first study to show that several inflammatory cytokines remain increased for up to 1 year post-injury.