What are the complications and emerging strategies for preventing depression following traumatic brain injury?

Clinical outcomes following major trauma for patients with a diagnosis of depression: a large UK database analysis

Background

More than a quarter of the UK population are affected by depression during their lifetime. For major trauma patients, postinjury depression can result in poorer long-term outcomes, but there is limited evidence regarding outcomes for patients with pre-existing depression. This study investigated the relationship between a diagnosis of depression prior to hospital admission and clinical outcomes after major trauma.

Methods

Trauma patients at a UK major trauma center were identified during a 6.5-year period using the Trauma Audit and Research Network database. Patients with Injury Severity Score >15 who did not die in the emergency department (ED) were included. Logistic regression models were used to compare in-hospital mortality (excluding ED), requirement for surgery, and length of stay (LOS) between those with depression and those without.

Results

There were 4602 patients included in the study and 6.45% had a diagnosis of depression. Depression was associated with a significant reduction in mortality (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.91; p=0.026). However, patients with depression were more likely to have longer LOS (OR 124, 95% CI 8.5 to 1831; p<0.001) and intensive care unit LOS (OR 9.69, 95% CI 3.14 to 29.9; p<0.001). Patients with depression were also more likely to undergo surgery (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.75; p=0.016).

Discussion

A pre-existing diagnosis of depression has complex association with clinical outcomes after major trauma, with reduced mortality but longer LOS and higher likelihood of surgical intervention. Further prospective investigations are warranted to inform optimal management strategies for major trauma patients with pre-existing depression.

Level of evidence

III.

Pharmacotherapy to prevent the onset of depression following traumatic brain injury

INTRODUCTION

Depressive symptoms may follow traumatic brain injury (TBI), affecting cognition, apathy, and overall general functioning. Pharmacotherapy to prevent the onset of depression following TBI is, therefore, crucial.

AREAS COVERED

The present report critically appraises current pharmacotherapy to prevent the onset of depression following TBI as well as novel potential pharmacological avenues on the matter. Both efficacy and safety issues are considered, emphasizing an evidence-based approach whenever feasible. The authors further provide the reader with their expert opinion and future perspectives on the subject.

EXPERT OPINION

Despite its clinical burden and relatively frequent occurrence, the prophylaxis of post-TBI depression warrants further research. The current clinical guidelines of depression do not account for people with a primary diagnosis of TBI. Prospective cohort studies supported by proof-of-concept trials are nonetheless urged toward more effective, patient-tailored pharmacotherapy to prevent the onset of depression and treatment-resistance phenomena following TBI.

Symptoms of Depression in Patients with Chemosensory Disorders

INTRODUCTION

Patients with chemosensory dysfunction frequently report symptoms of depression. The current study aims to clarify whether the type (smell dysfunction, taste dysfunction, and mixed smell and taste dysfunction), severity, duration, or cause of dysfunction have differential impacts on the symptoms of depression.

METHODS

899 patients with chemosensory disorders and 62 controls were included. Following a structured interview and an otorhinolaryngological examination, subjects underwent olfactory tests (Sniffin' Sticks), gustatory tests (taste sprays) and an assessment of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory). Information on the cause and duration of disorders was also collected.

RESULTS

Patients with combined olfactory/gustatory dysfunction had higher depression scores than patients with smell dysfunction only and controls, and no significant difference was found between the smell dysfunction and controls. Anosmia patients, but not hyposmia patients, exhibited higher depression scores than controls. Among various causes of chemosensory disorders, patients from the posttraumatic group had higher depression scores than patients with other causes of chemosensory dysfunction (sinonasal, idiopathic, or postinfectious). Multiple linear regression analyses suggested that reduced olfactory function was associated with enhanced depression scores in the olfactory disorders group (B = -0.326, t = -2.294, and p = 0.02) and in all patients with chemosensory disorders (B = -0.374, t = -2.550, p = 0.017).

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

Simultaneously decreased input of olfaction and gustation seems to have an additive effect on the exacerbation of emotional dysfunction. Early intervention should be considered for depression symptoms in patients with mixed olfactory/gustatory dysfunction in clinical practice.

Non-pharmacological interventions for depressive disorder in patients after traumatic brain injury: A protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Depressive disorder has gradually become one of the most commonly reported disabling psychiatric complication that occurs after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Currently classical antidepressant medications may not have the same effectiveness in patients with TBI as in patients without TBI. Non-pharmacological interventions have been considered to be effective for managing depressive symptoms or treating depressive disorder. But to date the comparative effectiveness of various types of non-pharmacological interventions has been synthesized in few studies, the evidence remains inconclusive. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review and network meta-analyses is to summarize high-quality evidence and identify the most effective non-pharmacological intervention when applied to treat the depressive disorder in patients after TBI.

METHODS

The comprehensive literature search in electronic database including PubMed, Ovid Medline, Cochrane Library, Web of Science database, Embase Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data Chinese database from inception to the search date. Only high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that have used non-pharmacological interventions to treat depressive disorder after TBI will be considered. Two independent reviewers will identify eligible studies, extract and manage data information, and then determine methodical quality of included studies. Overall efficacy will be assessed as primary outcome. Secondary outcomes involved treatment response, remission rate, overall acceptability, tolerability of treatment, social functioning, occurrence of adverse events, and suicide-related outcome. Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool will be adopted to assess the risk of bias. Study heterogeneity will be measured by the I statistic. Traditional pairwise meta-analyses will be performed using STATA, while WinBUGS with GeMTC package of R software will be used to carry out network meta-analysis.

RESULTS

This systematic review will examine the relative efficacy, effectiveness, safety, tolerability and acceptability of non-pharmacological interventions, and then to identify the most effective non-pharmacological intervention for depressive disorder after TBI.

EXPECTED CONCLUSION

Our work could be used to give clinical recommendations for practice guideline developers, psychiatrist, neurologist, policymakers, researchers as well as individual with depressive disorder after TBI, and will also identify gaps in knowledge that could be the subject of future research.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Neither ethics approval nor patient informed consent is necessary since this protocol was designed based on the existing literature. The results will be disseminated electronically or in print through publications in peer-reviewed scientific journal.

INPLASY REGISTRATION

INPLASY202080022.

Treatment of Depression After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review Focused on Pharmacological and Neuromodulatory Interventions

BACKGROUND

Depression is the most common psychiatric sequela after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and poses a variety of treatment challenges. There is a lack of clinical trials focused on biological interventions used to manage TBI depression.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the current evidence of psychotropic and neuromodulatory interventions used to treat TBI depression and to provide directions for future research.

METHODS

Key words were used to describe the following search terms: "traumatic brain injury", "depression", "pharmacological/drug therapy", and "neuromodulation". Studies focused on pharmacotherapy or neuromodulation in TBI depression were identified in 5 databases: Medline (PubMed), EMBASE (Embase.com), the Cochrane Library (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Methodology Register), PsycINFO (EbscoHost), and Web of Science. Article inclusion/exclusion using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-based systematic protocol of extraction and evaluation was applied. Level of evidence for each study was determined using the American Academy of Neurology criteria.

RESULTS

The initial search provided 1473 citations. Twenty-two studies met inclusion criteria. Sixteen studies explored pharmacological interventions with emphasis on serotonergic agents. Results between studies were conflicting, and interventions did not always outperform placebos, although sertraline provided the highest level of evidence for treatment of TBI depression. Six studies examining neuromodulatory interventions show preliminary evidence of efficacy with a range of interventions and modes of delivery used.

CONCLUSIONS

Additional research including large-sample randomized-controlled trials using pharmacological, neuromodulation, or combination treatment is needed. These studies should incorporate premorbid psychosocial functioning, preinjury psychiatric disease, cognitive deficits, and functional recovery when examining outcomes.

The effects of post-traumatic depression on cognition, pain, fatigue, and headache after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury: a thematic review

BACKGROUND

Post-traumatic depression (PTD) is one of the most common secondary complications to develop after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, it rarely manifests singularly, and often co-occurs with other common TBI impairments.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this thematic review is to evaluate studies examining the relationships between PTD and cognition, fatigue, pain, and headache among individuals with moderate-to-severe TBI.

RESULTS

We reviewed 16 studies examining the relationship between PTD and cognition (five articles), fatigue (five articles), pain (four articles), and headache (two articles). Two studies failed to identify the significant associations between PTD and neuropsychological test performance, while one study found a positive association. Two other studies found that early PTD was associated with later executive dysfunction. Studies on fatigue suggest it is a cause, not consequence, of PTD. Individuals with PTD tended to report more pain than those without PTD. Studies examining relationships between PTD and post-traumatic headache were equivocal.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies evaluating the effects of PTD on common TBI impairments have yielded mixed results. Evidence suggests PTD precedes the development of executive dysfunction, and a strong link exists between fatigue and PTD, with fatigue preceding PTD. Future prospective studies evaluating PTD relationships to pain and headache are warranted to elucidate causality.