Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children and adolescents is a significant public health issue and accounts for a major proportion of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. Nearly 300 out of every 100,000 children will suffer a TBI by the time they reach the age of 18 years and nearly 10 out of 100,000 will die. Advances in medicine over the past twenty years have made it possible for many more children to survive these injuries. Over 5 billion dollars a year are spent on hospital and rehabilitation care, physician services and medication for children 14 year old and young. Increased survival from TBI leads to complex questions regarding the recovery of function as well as the ability of affected individuals to acquire new information and skills. Almost half of the children who sustain a TBI utilize special education during the first year of recovery due to difficulties with memory, attention, learning, and emotional stability.

We are planning to conduct neuroimaging studies of children with TBI, including both structural and functional MRI analyses. We hope to examine physiological and morphological correlates of TBI outcome, identify pre-existing variables that may act as protective mechanisms following TBI and conduct longitudinal neuroimaging studies to track the rehabilitation/recovery mechanisms in the brain associated with TBI.

If you would like more information on TBI or how to participate in a study, please contact Dr. Sharon Williams.