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CompletedNCT01922531Updated Aug 14, 2013

Defining Axonal Injury in Children With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

An observational study in Traumatic Brain Injury, sponsored by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 11 Years to 16 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2013-08-14.

Sponsored by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
59
Ages
11 Years to 16 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

To measure Axonal Injury in children with mild traumatic brain injury enrolled in an Emergency Department using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, a type of MRI and biomarkers.

Read the detailed description

Objective: To determine if children with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have acute axonal injury defined by disruption of diffusion of water in white matter using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) as compared to orthopedic injury (OI) controls.

Methods: Children ages 11-16 years who presented within 6 hours of either a mTBI or an isolated OI were recruited from the emergency department (ED). Patients had Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) study performed within 96 hours of injury. Voxel based analysis approach was used to quantify the group differences for common DTI measures. In the ED and at the time of the scan, symptom burden was measured using the post concussion symptom scale.

02

Conditions studied

  • Traumatic Brain Injury

Keywords

  • mTBI
  • Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Axonal Injury
03

In context

Brain Injuries

2,113 studies on the registry are indexed under Brain Injuries; 385 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 59 is below the median of 100 across 690 observational studies indexed under Brain Injuries.

Browse Brain Injuries studies →

Lead sponsor

Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati is the lead sponsor of 661 studies on the registry; 134 are open to participants now.

Of its 54 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 30 (56%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
11 Years to 16 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients presenting to a Pediatric Emergency Department

Inclusion criteria

mTBI group: Inclusion: Children between the ages of >11 to \< 16 years who present within 6 hours of injury with a witnessed head injury. A patient may have a self-reported injury to the head but there must also be evidence of head trauma on exam to be eligible for the study. Subjects must meet the clinical definition of mTBI from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine122: A blow to the head or acceleration/deceleration movement of the head resulting in one or more of the following: i. loss of consciousness \<30 minutes, ii. amnesia \<24 hours, iii. any alteration in mental state at the time of the injury. Subjects without witnessed LOC/amnesia but with demonstrable amnesia in the ED are eligible. Subject must have GCS of 13-15 at the time of arrival in the ED. Subject may be enrolled prior to CT (if completed). Subjects should only have up to 1 other minor extracranial injury defined by an Abbreviated Injury Severity Scale \< 1 to that region (AIS; American Association for Automotive Medicine, 1990). Subjects will be included if they have multiple injuries that affect only 1 body system as noted in the AIS (ie, subjects who sustain skin abrasions to more than 1 body region as a result of injury but do not meet exclusion based on injury severity) Subjects and their families must be able to speak and read English. Subjects must agree to have blood drawn in the ED, and to return three times as an outpatient for repeat testing. Subjects are still eligible if they are admitted to the hospital. Subjects must have a score of less than 65 on the CBCL to be included in the study to limit possible co-morbidities. Children with a diagnosis of Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) will be included as long as they meet the following criteria: physician diagnosed, controlled by only one ADHD medication, and have a T-score of less than 50 on the DSM Oriented Scale for Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (Sub-Category of CBCL).

Orthopedic Injury Control Group:

Subjects with isolated extremity trauma requiring radiography and an Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) of \< 3 (AIS; American Association for Automotive Medicine, 1990)123 will be included in the study. The presence of a fracture on the x-ray is not a requirement for inclusion. Subjects can not require immediate surgery for care. We will attempt to match based on gender and age (+/- 365 days within the included age range 11-16); yet, we will enroll consecutive eligible patients meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria.Subjects must not have any evidence of head trauma / facial trauma or symptoms of concussion (such as LOC, amnesia, confusion). This information must be corroborated with a reliable witness or the parent and the treating physician. Subjects must have normal neurologic exams and must not require a head CT as a part of the clinical care. Subjects may be prescribed narcotics and/or opiates prescribed for pain in the ED will be allowed IF the subject agrees to refrain from taking the medication for at least 4 hours prior to completing the neurobehavioral testing at follow-up. Subjects must meet the same CBCL score and ADHD definition as listed in the mTBI group.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

mTBI Group: Exclusion Criteria: Children \<11 or >16 years old and subjects and/or the families do not speak and read English will be excluded. Subjects with a score of 65 or more on the CBCL will be excluded due to probable pre-existing impairment. Any subject who has an altered mental status due to the ingestion of substances of abuse or alcohol or who are prescribed a drug that impairs cognition (e.g., benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, or opiates such as those listed (but not limited to) in Appendix L). Subjects will be excluded if they have a prior history of concussion, pre-existing neurologic impairment (stroke, prior TBI requiring ED visit or hospitalization, CSF shunt, brain tumor), pre-existing cognitive disorders (seizure disorder, mental retardation), psychological problems or developmental delay. Subjects with the following illnesses will also be excluded: bleeding or coagulation disorders, cancer (who are currently undergoing treatment), HIV/AIDS, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's Disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, and Krabbe Disease. Subjects will be excluded if they have the diagnosis of ADHD and require 2 or more medications for control or they have a T-score of 50 or greater on the DSM Oriented Scale for Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder. Subjects will be excluded if they are on any medication typically prescribed for ADHD but do not carry the diagnosis of ADHD. Subjects will be excluded if they have any condition that precluded them from undergoing magnetic resonance imaging as detailed in Appendix L. These include having an implanted medical devices (i.e., cardiac pace maker, hearing aid, or other implant); having metal in the body that does not meet criteria for MRI machines (i.e. braces, plates, screws; since some types of metal are not responsive to the magnet and are permitted, the eligibility for MRI will be investigated in each such case to ensure safety); having non-removable jewelry or body piercing; pregnancy; known claustrophobia; extreme obesity (due to physical limitation of the magnet). Subjects with one extracranial (organ group) injury with an AIS score of > 2 or 2 or more extracranial (i.e. 2 or more organ groups) injuries will be excluded, those with multiple injuries to one organ group (ie, skin abrasion on more than 1 extremity) will still be eligible.

Orthopedic Injury Control Group:

Subjects who present with an orthopedic injury, as well as head trauma or signs or symptoms of mTBI will be excluded. Subjects who do not have a reliable witness to determine that there was no loss of consciousness, amnesia, or confusion related to the injury will be excluded. Subjects who are enrolled then subsequently receive a Head CT will have enrollment discontinued. Subjects who are prescribed a drug that impairs cognition (e.g., benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, opiates) will be excluded. Any inability or unwillingness to complete study procedures including follow up procedures will be excluded. Subjects will not be eligible to serve as controls if they cannot use a computer mouse due to their injury. Patients must not have any of the other exclusion criteria listed for the mTBI group (ie, CBCL scores, ADHD diagnosis, pre-existing conditions,MRI Contraindications)

05

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
59 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

    These were patients who presented to the ER within 6 hours of a witnessed head injury. Patients were also eligible if the patient had a self-reported head injury with evidence of head trauma.

  • Orthopedic Injury

    Patients were eligible as an orthopedic injured control who presented to the ER within 6 hours of an isolated extremity trauma that radiography and an Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) of less than or equal to 3.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Differences in mean FA

    The primary analysis was to test for significant differences in mean Fractional Anisotropy in the Corpus Callosum between the mild traumatic brain injured patients and orthopedic controls.

    Time frame: 72 hours post enrollment

Secondary outcomes

  1. Functional Outcomes following mTBI

    Four meausres were used to assess functional outcomes following mTBI. These were completed at 1 week and 1 month post injury.

    Time frame: 1 week and 1 month post injury

Other outcomes

  1. Biomarkers

    Participants with mTBI and OI had blood drawn up to 6 hours post injury to analyze the differences in serum proteomes to identify known and novel biomarkers of axonal injury associated with mild traumatic brain injury in children.

    Time frame: 6 hours post injury

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
    Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, United States
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 14, 2013, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01922531
Lead sponsor
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 14, 2013
Start date
Sep 2010
Primary completion
Aug 2012
Completion
Aug 2012
Last update
Aug 14, 2013

Study contacts

Lynn Babcock, MD
principal investigator · Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2013. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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