A key factor which has hindered research into TBI related neurodegeneration (TReND) is the narrow focus on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) with far less consideration given to the broader group of neuropathological effects of TBI. Indeed, most TReND research efforts involve a single, localized population and are conducted at a single site; furthermore, the data derived is largely unavailable to the broader community. As has been demonstrated in related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer?s and Parkinson?s disease, broad, coordinated, and multi-institution efforts bolster the quality of research by drawing data from multiple populations. To achieve this for the TBI research community, the CONNECT-TBI Data Coordinating Core will focus its efforts on the establishing central, standardized, and reliable handling of all data relating to the Research Projects. Through close interaction with the Administrative and Brain Bank Core, a central repository of all neuropathological and clinical data will be made available to all authorized investigators. This Core intends to implement the NINDS established sets of Common Data Elements (CDEs) to characterize TBI at local sites and compile these data in the central database.
