Using harmonized FITBIR datasets to examine associations between TBI history and cognitive functioning
Maya E O'Neil1,2,3, David Cameron1,3, Danielle Krushnic1,3
1HSR Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC), Portland VA Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA.
Applied Neuropsychology. Adult
|September 17, 2024
Summary
Harmonizing traumatic brain injury (TBI) data reveals an association between mild TBI and cognitive dysfunction. These methods and data are now available to advance TBI research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Public Health
- Data Science
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health concern.
- Understanding the long-term cognitive consequences of TBI is crucial.
- Data fragmentation across studies hinders comprehensive analysis of TBI's impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the harmonization and pooling of patient-level TBI data from the Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research (FITBIR) Informatics System.
- To examine the relationships between TBI history, severity, and cognitive functioning.
- To develop and share methods for TBI data analysis and dissemination.
Main Methods:
- Harmonized and pooled data from four publicly available FITBIR studies.
- Analyzed rates of probable cognitive functioning deficits based on TBI history and severity.
- Utilized comparative analyses with a focus on mild TBI versus no TBI history.
Main Results:
- One FITBIR study with 1,539 participants provided data for comparative analysis.
- 82% of participants had a history of mild TBI, and 67% showed signs of cognitive dysfunction.
- Findings indicated an association between mild TBI and cognitive dysfunction, consistent with prior research.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully demonstrated a method for harmonizing and pooling TBI data.
- An association between mild TBI and cognitive dysfunction was supported by the analyzed data.
- Developed methods, analysis syntax, and metadata were shared via the FITBIR website to promote FAIR data principles.
