NINDS Program Description
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when external physical forces cause damage to the brain, whether from impact, penetrating objects, blast waves or rapid movement of the brain within the skull. Currently, TBI has three severity classifications (mild, moderate, severe) that are based primarily on the Glasgow Coma Scale. The classification of mild TBI also includes concussion, commonly defined as a transient alteration of brain function due to exposure to external physical forces. While acute TBI can be life threatening, TBI also can have long-term sequelae including cognitive and physical disability, post-concussion syndrome (PCS), and may contribute to the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). PCS results when various symptoms of concussion last weeks, months or more than a year following concussion. CTE is a delayed neurodegenerative disorder that results from repetitive mild injury to the brain and can only be diagnosed postmortem. Additional general information about TBI can be found at the NINDS TBI Hope Through Research website.
Estimates of Funding for Various Research, Condition, and Disease Categories
| Research/Disease Areas* | FY 2016 (Actual) |
FY 2017 (Actual) |
FY 2018 Estimated (Enacted) |
FY 2019 Estimated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injury - Traumatic Brain Injury | $105 | $116 | $122 | $114 |
*Dollars in millions and rounded
Proceedings & Outcomes
- Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury in Women [Summary pdf, 599 kb]
[Video Day 1 & Day 2]
December 18-19, 2017 | Bethesda, MD - InTBIR 2017 [Summary] (pdf, 526 kb)
October 30-31, 2017 | Rockville, MD - Environmental Sensor use for Quantifying Neural Exposure to Inertial and Blast Forces [Summary] (pdf, 309 kb)
National Neurotrauma Society Ancillary Symposium
July 8, 2017 | Snowbird, UT - Pediatric Concussion Workshop [Video Day 1 & Day 2]
October 13-14, 2016 | North Bethesda, MD - Report: Sports & Health Research Stakeholders Meeting
March 31, 2015 - Report from the First NIH Consensus Conference to Define the Neuropathological Criteria for the Diagnosis of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
February 2015
Resources and Tools
NINDS strongly encourages researchers who receive funding from the Institute to use these common data elements (CDEs) in their clinical research.
- TBI specific CDEs can be found at: NINDS CDE for Traumatic Brain Injury
- A comprehensive list of CDEs from across NIH can be found at the National Library of Medicine (NLM)’s NIH CDE repository.
- Executive Order: Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families (August 31, 2012)
The FITBIR Informatics System is a database developed by the Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health to share data, associated tools and methodologies. NINDS has specific FITBIR requirements for larger Clinical Research studies.
InTBIR is a cooperative international effort to coordinate clinical research activities, increase data sharing, and leverage global research opportunities.