AUTHOR=Miller Lesley S., Colella Brenda , Green Robin E.

TITLE=Environmental enrichment may protect against hippocampal atrophy in the chronic stages of traumatic brain injury

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2013

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00506

DOI=10.3389/fnhum.2013.00506

ISSN=1662-5161

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> To examine the relationship between environmental enrichment (EE) and hippocampal atrophy in the chronic stages of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).</p><p><bold>Design:</bold> Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data; observational, within-subjects.</p><p><bold>Participants:</bold> Patients (<italic>N</italic> = 25) with moderate to severe TBI.</p><p><bold>Measures:</bold> Primary predictors: (1) An aggregate of self-report rating of EE (comprising hours of cognitive, physical, and social activities) at 5 months post-injury; (2) pre-injury years of education as a proxy for pre-morbid EE (or cognitive reserve). Primary outcome: bilateral hippocampal volume change from 5 to 28 months post-injury.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> As predicted, self-reported EE was significantly negatively correlated with bilateral hippocampal atrophy (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05), with greater EE associated with less atrophy from 5 to 28 months. Contrary to prediction, years of education (a proxy for cognitive reserve) was not significantly associated with atrophy.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Post-injury EE may serve as a buffer against hippocampal atrophy in the chronic stages of moderate-severe TBI. Clinical application of EE should be considered for optimal maintenance of neurological functioning in the chronic stages of moderate-severe TBI.</p>