Fatigue, attention and sleep disturbance after traumatic brain injury

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/334002

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability in young people. A major obstacle to the rehabilitation of these young people and their return to work or study is their susceptibility to fatigue post-injury. Sleep disturbance is also often reported following TBI and this may accentuate fatigue. Suprisingly, little research has been conducted on the nature, causes or progression of fatigue and sleep disorders following TBI and their possible interrelationships. This study aims to investigate the incidence and extent of fatigue in a large group of people who have experienced a TBI compared to a control group, how fatigue changes over time and its impact on daily life. The study will also address whether higher fatigue levels are associated with decreased attention and speed of information processing. Changes in sleep patterns will also be investigated using both subjective measures, such as sleep quality and daytime sleepiness, and objective physiological measures, such as the time of dim light melatonin onset and polysomnography, comparing the head injured group with controls. The interrelationships between fatigue and sleep changes will then be examined and also their association with injury severity, the location of the brain injury, the time since the injury, age, the presence of any cognitive impairments and the incidence of depression. The project has the potential to provide valuable information to healthcare professionals on the diagnosis of fatigue and sleep disorders in head injury patients. The investigation of the nature, causes and impact of fatigue and sleep disorders could also provide a basis for therapy. For example, fatigue and problems with attention and slowed information processing can be minimized by restructuring lifestyle demands and simple and effective treatments are available for many sleep disturbances, such as bright light therapy and-or exogenous melatonin.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2005

End Date: 01-01-2007

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $328,050.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Neurosciences not elsewhere classified

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Attention | Cognitive Impairment | Fatigue | Neuropsychological Impairment | Sleep | Traumatic Brain Injury

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