Does Genetic Variability Affect Long-Term Response to Traumatic Brain Injury?

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Oct. 17, 2013 - PRLog -- New Rochelle, NY—An individual's recovery months after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is difficult to predict, and some of the variability in outcomes may be due to genetic differences. Subtle variations in genes that regulate a person’s inflammatory response to injury can impact clinical outcomes in TBI, according to a new study published in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Neurotrauma website at http://www.liebertpub.com/neu.

In the article “Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms and Outcome after Traumatic Brain Injury,” (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/neu.2012.2792) Ryan Waters and coauthors from University Hospital Southampton, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, and Southampton General Hospital, UK, explore natural variations between individuals in the genes that encode cytokines. These signaling chemicals play an important role in neuroinflammation, which is a key part of the secondary response to head injury. Genetic variability in cytokine genes can impact the magnitude and duration of an individual’s neuroinflammatory response to TBI, affecting long-term repair processes and recovery.

John T. Povlishock, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Neurotrauma and Professor, VCU Neuroscience Center, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond notes, “This study analyzes a relatively large cohort of patients in whom novel genetic associations were found and correlated with outcome. These studies are considered particularly important in that they join with emerging information in the field that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) expression is associated with unfavorable outcome and thus, may be a target of future studies focusing on the treatment of traumatic brain injury.”

About the Journal
Journal of Neurotrauma is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online that focuses on the latest advances in the clinical and laboratory investigation of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. Emphasis is on the basic pathobiology of injury to the nervous system, and the papers and reviews evaluate preclinical and clinical trials targeted at improving the early management and long-term care and recovery of patients with traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neurotrauma is the official journal of the National Neurotrauma Society and the International Neurotrauma Society. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Neurotrauma website at http://www.liebertpub.com/neu.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management, Tissue Engineering, and Brain Connectivity. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website at http://www.liebertpub.com.

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Phone: (914) 740-2100    (800) M-LIEBERT    Fax:  (914) 740-2101
www.liebertpub.com