Cognitive impairments in mild traumatic brain injury and genetic polymorphism of apolipoprotein E: a preliminary study in a Level I trauma center

Veeramuthu, V., Pancharatnam, D., Poovindran, A. R., Mustapha, N. A., Wong, K. T., Mazlan, M., Waran, V. and Ganesan, D. (2014) Cognitive impairments in mild traumatic brain injury and genetic polymorphism of apolipoprotein E: a preliminary study in a Level I trauma center. Neurology Asia, 19 (1). pp. 69-77. ISSN 1823-6138

Abstract/Summary

The complex pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury, its cascading effects and a varied outcome suggest that factors such as genetics may permeate and modulate the neurocognitive outcomes in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This study was conducted to determine the relationship between genetic polymorphism of apolipoprotein E, and neurocognitive and functional outcomes in mTBI. Twenty-one patients with mTBI were recruited prospectively. The severity of the injury was established with the Glasgow Coma Score (GCS). Other assessments included the CT Scan of the head on admission, Disability Rating Scale, Chessington Occupational Therapy Neurological Assessment (COTNAB) and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). The Spearmen correlation analysis of ApoE allele status and the cognitive and functional assessments saw some association with the Sensory Motor Ability - Coordination (-0.526, p<0.05), Communication Ability (-0.651, p<0.05), and the Employability (Return to Work) at 1st month (0.455, p<0.05). Notably, the deficits of specific attributes of visuospatial and sensory motor function were seen with greater impairment consistently observed in patients with ApoE e4 allele. In conclusion, the preliminary findings support the possible relationship that exists between ApoE e4 and neurocognitive impairment in mTBI, despite good functional recovery in 6 months post injury.