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An EEG Severity Index of Traumatic Brain Injury

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Check out this Knowledge Base article from StressTherapy Solutions: An EEG Severity Index of Traumatic Brain Injury.

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Study at a glance

Area
TBI & Concussion
Study type
Observational study
Authors
Thatcher RW, North DM, Curtin RT, Walker RA, Biver CJ, Gomez JF, Salazar AM
Journal
The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
Year
2001
Participants
40 mild, 25 moderate and 43 severe TBI patients; cross-validation in 503 VA patients
Protocol
EEG spectral analysis with discriminant function

Key findings

  • Mild vs severe TBI classification accuracy of 96.39% (sensitivity 95.45%, specificity 97.44%)
  • Moderate TBI patients scored at intermediate levels on the EEG discriminant score
  • Results were cross-validated in 503 Veterans Affairs patients
  • EEG scores correlated significantly with emergency admission measures and later neuropsychological test scores

DOI 10.1176/jnp.13.1.77 → PubMed 11207333 →

Researchers recorded EEG from 19 scalp sites in patients with mild, moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), between 15 days and 4 years after injury, grading severity from hospital admission records such as the Glasgow Coma Score and length of coma and amnesia. A discriminant function built from 16 EEG variables separated mild from severe cases with high accuracy and placed moderate cases in between. The result was cross-validated in a large Veterans Affairs sample. The authors conclude the EEG score serves as an index of injury severity.