A longitudinal study of chronic TBI in OEF/OIF/OND Veterans and service members

描述（由申请人提供）： 项目背景/理由。大约15%的服役人员在持久自由行动/伊拉克自由行动/新黎明行动（OEF/OIF/OND）中部署时曾一次或多次遭受创伤性脑损伤（TBI）。已知TBI对平民和越战老兵的长期影响包括神经退行性疾病。然而，目前对正在进行的冲突期间持续的TBI知之甚少，现在是时候调查爆炸和非爆炸相关的TBI在OEF/OIF/OND退伍军人和服务人员中的慢性影响。 项目目标。该研究的广泛目标是描述OEF/OIF/OND退伍军人和服务人员持续TBI的慢性影响，具体目标包括评估这些影响对认知，神经系统状态和功能结果的影响，这些影响与多模态脑成像显示的继发性病理学有关。相关目标包括研究遗传学、认知储备和脑储备如何调节TBI对结果的慢性影响。 项目方法。这项双队列纵向研究将招募200名OEF/OIF/OND退伍军人和服务人员，其中150人报告至少有一次TBI，50人报告大脑以外的身体部位受伤或没有受伤。参与者将在Michael E.德巴基退伍军人事务医疗中心（MEDVAMC），并从一个协调的网站在布鲁克陆军医疗中心（BAMC）和达纳尔陆军医疗中心（DAMC）在胡德堡。在知情同意和资格筛选后，受伤后至少两个月的参与者将在MEDVAMC或BAMC/DAMC完成基线亲自评估，包括认知测试，功能状态，神经学检查和脑成像。 将进行磁共振成像（MRI）以评估脑区域和总白色物质体积和皮质厚度，扩散张量成像（DTI）将检查白色物质束的微结构完整性，静息状态功能连接MRI（fcMRI）将测量自发脑激活，磁共振波谱（MRS）将评估被认为在TBI后改变的神经递质水平。抽血可以为基因分型提供血清。随访将包括在基线后6个月和18个月对认知和功能状态进行基于网络的评估，以及在12个月时进行第二次面对面评估，该评估将重复基线时进行的结果测量和脑成像。数据将存档在一个面向对象的数据库中，该数据库是为在协作环境中储存和挖掘科学数据而设计的。数据管理和统计分析将由MEDVAMC的高级项目统计师与其他研究者协调进行。 行政监督将由研究者和项目工作人员组成的小组根据其专业知识和职责进行组织，包括管理、招募和保留、成像、神经心理学评估、神经学检查、遗传学和数据管理/分析。为确保项目地点之间的程序统一，将在头三个月举办一次讲习班并完成一份项目手册。在两个项目现场对类似的MRI扫描仪进行质量保证测试将确保高质量的图像数据，对认知和行为数据的审计，包括神经心理学家的监测，将为这些措施提供质量保证。 与退伍军人事务部健康使命相关。OEF/OIF/OND退伍军人和服务人员持续的单一和重复性TBI的慢性影响知之甚少，但可能包括影响退伍军人及其家人长期健康和生活质量的神经退行性疾病。 该项目将提高VHA监测和识别TBI后期影响的能力，包括使用先进的脑成像技术为康复和医疗资源规划提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Background/Rationale. About 15% of service members have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) on one or more occasions while deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND). The long-term effects of TBI in civilians and in Vietnam veterans are known to include neurodegenerative conditions. However, little is currently known about TBI sustained during the ongoing conflicts and it is timely to investigate the chronic effects of blast and non-blast-related TBI in OEF/OIF/OND veterans and service members. Project Objectives. The study's broad objective is to characterize the chronic effects of TBI sustained by OEF/OIF/OND veterans and service members, and the specific aims include the evaluation of these effects on cognition, neurologic status, and functional outcome in relation to secondary pathology shown by multimodality brain imaging. Related objectives include an examination of how genetics, cognitive reserve, and brain reserve moderate the chronic effects of TBI on outcome. Project Methods. This dual cohort, longitudinal study would enroll 200 OEF/OIF/OND veterans and service members, including 150 who reported at least one TBI and 50 with an injury to body regions other than the brain or no injury. Participants would be enrolled at the Michael E. De Bakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MEDVAMC) and from a coordinated site at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) and Darnall Army Medical Center (DAMC) at Fort Hood. Following informed consent and screening for eligibility, participants who are least two months post-injury would complete a baseline, in-person assessment at the MEDVAMC or BAMC/DAMC that would include cognitive testing, functional status, neurologic examination, and brain imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) would be performed to assess brain region and total white matter volumes and cortical thickness, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) would examine microstructural integrity of white matter tracts, resting state functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) would measure spontaneous brain activation, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) would assess levels of neurotransmitters that are thought to be altered following TBI. A blood draw would provide serum for genotyping. Follow-ups would include web-based assessment of cognition and functional status at six and 18 months after baseline and a second in-person assessment at 12 months that would repeat the outcomes measurement and brain imaging that had been performed at baseline. Data would be archived in an object-oriented database designed for the storage and mining of scientific data in collaborative environments. Data management and statistical analysis would be performed by the senior project statistician at the MEDVAMC in coordination with the other study investigators. Administrative oversight would be provided by subgroups of investigators and project staff organized by their expertise and roles, including Administration, Recruitment and Retention, Imaging, Neuropsychological Assessment, Neurological Examination, Genetics, and Data Management/Analysis. To ensure uniform procedures between the project sites, a workshop would be held and a project manual completed during the first three months. Quality assurance (QA) testing of the similar MRI scanners at the two project sites would ensure high quality image data and audits of the cognitive and behavioral data, including monitoring by neuropsychologists, would provide QA for those measures. Relevance to the VA Health Mission. The chronic effects of single and repetitive TBI sustained by OEF/OIF/OND veterans and service members are poorly understood, but potentially include neurodegenerative conditions that impact the long-term health and quality of life of veterans and their families. This project would enhance the capability of VHA to monitor and identify late effects of TBI, including the use of advanced brain imaging to inform planning of rehabilitation and healthcare resources.