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Updated: Dec 1, 2025
Development of an Uncomplicated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Model Modified by Weight-Drop Method and Evidenced by Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: April 11, 2025
Complicated versus uncomplicated mild traumatic brain injuries: A comparison of psychological, cognitive, and
Justin E Karr1, Grant L Iverson2,3,4,5, Michael W Williams6
1Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky , Lexington, KY, USA.
Introduction:
A complicated mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is defined as mild by all clinical severity indicators but is complicated due to a traumatic intracranial abnormality visible on neuroimaging. Researchers have reported mixed findings regarding whether neuropsychological and functional outcomes following complicated MTBI are worse than, or similar to, outcomes following uncomplicated MTBI. This study examined patients referred from a Taiwanese emergency department to a neurosurgical outpatient clinic. Participants with complicated MTBI, uncomplicated MTBI, and those who did not undergo head computed tomography (CT) were compared on psychological, neuropsychological, and post-concussion symptom outcomes within 21 days of injury.
Method:
Participants with complicated MTBI (n = 42), uncomplicated MTBI (n = 77), and no head CT (n = 172) completed the Paced Auditory Serial Attention Test, Taiwanese Word Sequence Learning Test, a semantic Verbal Fluency Test, the Checklist of Post-Concussion Symptoms, and the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories.
Results:
No significant differences were observed between groups on any measure. For individual post-concussion symptoms, dizziness, anxiety, and attention difficulty were endorsed more often after uncomplicated MTBIs, but these group differences were not significant after controlling for multiple comparisons.
Conclusions:
Participants with complicated MTBIs did not have worse acute or subacute outcomes than participants with uncomplicated MTBIs or no head CT. These results are consistent with many studies finding comparable outcomes between those with complicated and uncomplicated MTBIs. This study is limited by small sample size and minimal information on intracranial abnormalities, broadly categorizing groups based on positive or negative neuroimaging as opposed to specific lesion types and locations.
Insights
Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) outcomes were similar for complicated and uncomplicated cases. Neuropsychological and symptom assessments showed no significant differences between groups within 21 days post-injury.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Traumatology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is defined by clinical indicators but can be complicated by intracranial abnormalities on neuroimaging.
- Previous research on outcomes for complicated versus uncomplicated MTBI has yielded mixed results.
- Understanding acute and subacute outcomes is crucial for patient management and prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare psychological, neuropsychological, and post-concussion symptom outcomes in patients with complicated MTBI, uncomplicated MTBI, and no head CT.
- To investigate whether complicated MTBI leads to worse outcomes compared to uncomplicated MTBI within 21 days of injury.
- To contribute to the understanding of MTBI recovery trajectories.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving patients from a Taiwanese emergency department referred to neurosurgery.
- Participants were categorized into complicated MTBI (n=42), uncomplicated MTBI (n=77), and no head CT (n=172) groups.
- Standardized neuropsychological tests and symptom inventories were administered within 21 days post-injury.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found between the groups across all assessed measures.
- While some symptoms like dizziness and anxiety were more frequent in uncomplicated MTBI, these differences were not statistically significant after adjustments.
- Individual symptom reporting did not reveal significant group disparities.
Conclusions:
- Complicated mild traumatic brain injuries did not demonstrate worse acute or subacute outcomes compared to uncomplicated MTBI or no head CT.
- Findings suggest comparable outcomes between complicated and uncomplicated MTBI groups in the acute/subacute phase.
- Limitations include small sample size and broad categorization of neuroimaging findings.
