Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) results in approximately 150,000 deaths per year in the United States. Most of the estimated 103,000 survivors are subjected to a prolonged hospital course and significant sequelae. TBI is associated with significant emotional distress for the patient and their family, and an economic burden of $48.3 billion per year to the nation. The consequences of TBI are rapid and devastating. There is a pressing need for reliable continuous neurological monitoring of such critical patients. Therefore, our Phase I goal is to investigate the use of quantitative Evoked Potential (qEP) analysis to detect and monitor the evolution of brain injury after TBI. We propose to develop a novel qEP system based on a powerful sinusoidal modeling algorithm known as ESPRIT. This system is intended to capture signal component changes due to injury. We will evaluate the ability of the qEP analysis to characterize acute cerebral injury, based on correlation with elevation of intracranial pressure and reduction of cerebral perfusion pressure in a rodent model. Further, we will observe the ability of qEP analysis to prognosticate the neurological outcome measured 72-hours after the introduction of an expansible mass lesion. If our Phase I effort is successful, we envision a Phase II effort focused on clinical validation of the technology. It is our long-term goal is to establish qEP analysis as a neurodiagnostic tool for improving the care of TBI victims. ? ?
