Traumatic Brain Injury, Neuroinflammation, and Post‐Traumatic Headaches

Abstract

Concussions following head and/or neck injury are common, and although most people with mild injuries recover uneventfully, a subset of individuals develop persistent post-concussive symptoms that often include headaches. Post-traumatic headaches vary in presentation and may progress to become chronic and in some cases debilitating. Little is known about the pathogenesis of post-traumatic headaches, although shared pathophysiology with that of the brain injury is suspected. Following primary injury to brain tissues, inflammation rapidly ensues; while this inflammatory response initially provides a defensive/reparative function, it can persist beyond its beneficial effect, potentially leading to secondary injuries because of alterations in neuronal excitability, axonal integrity, central processing, and other changes. These changes may account for the neurological symptoms often observed after traumatic brain injury, including headaches. This review considers selected aspects of the inflammatory response following traumatic brain injury, with an emphasis on the role of glial cells as mediators of maladaptive post-traumatic inflammation.

Silver nanoparticles induced neurotoxicity through oxidative stress in rat cerebral astrocytes is distinct from the effects of silver ions

“…As one of the two primary types of macroglial cells in the brain, astrocytes can be activated upon endogenous or exogenous insults, thus causing the release of various inflammatory factors and undergoing morphological changes (Mayer et al, 2013). The potential of AgNPs stimulation on astrocytes at non-cytotoxic levels would help to interpret the compromised integrity of brainblood barrier (BBB) and translocation of the nanoparticles in the brain because astrocytes compose a significant component of this barrier.…”

Prazosin for the Treatment of PTSD

“…Prazosin is generally well tolerated with gradual dose titration, and benefit usually continues for years once an effective dose is achieved. Prazosin may also prove beneficial for alcohol use disorder [48,49] and persistent postconcussive headaches [50]. Clinical effectiveness of prazosin is supported by increased utilization every year among veterans with a PTSD diagnosis receiving care in the Veterans Health Care System since publication of the first case report series in 2000 [43,51].…”

New advances on glial activation in health and disease

“…It is well established that astrocytes carry the potential to change their morphology in reaction to CNS injury [73] as well as in interactions with CNS vasculature [74] and neurons [12] . In the same way that neuronal dendrites are adaptable and respond to changes in CNS activity by altering their structure, astrocytic processes dynamically alter their morphology and interact with synapses in response to their environment [75] .…”