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Boys with inattention-hyperactivity face increased risk for traumatic brain injuries

First study to show that childhood behaviours may predict traumatic brain injuries later in life
Published: 19 February 2020

UUֱ-led research shows that boysexhibitinginattention-hyperactivityat age 10haveahigher risk for traumatic brain injuries(TBIs)in adolescence and adulthood.Treatments to reduce these behaviours may decrease the risk for TBIs.

“Traumatic brain injuriesare the leading cause of death and disability in children and young adults, but little is known aboutthefactors thatprovokethem,”says Guido Guberman, a doctoral and medical student in theDepartment of Neurology and Neurosurgeryat UUֱ.The study published in theis the first to showthat childhood behavioursidentifiedby teacherssuch as inattention-hyperactivitypredicted subsequenttraumatic brain injuries.The study also foundthat boys who sustained TBIs in childhood were at greater risk of sustaining TBIs in adolescence.

According to the researchers, TBIs occur in approximately 17% of males in the general population, yet there is littleresearch about TBI prevention.To determine whether thereisa link between inattention-hyperactivityand TBIs, they analyzed data from 724Canadian malesfrom age 6 to 34.Theyexaminedhealth files and collected information from parents when participants were agedsix, thenadministered a questionnaire to the participants’ teachers on classroom behaviours when the participants were aged 10 years.

“Toavoidsuffering and disability, prevention strategies are needed,for examplepromoting cyclist safety,"saysGuberman. "There are treatments that can decrease the severity of childhood inattention-hyperactivity and behavioural problems.Our results suggest that trials arenecessary to determinewhether these programscanalso decrease the risk for subsequent traumatic brain injuries."


About UUֱ

Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, UUֱ is Canada’s top ranked medical doctoral university. UUֱ is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. It  is a world-renowned  institution of higher learning with research activities spanning two campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 40,000 students, including more than 10,200 graduate students. UUֱ attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,800 international students making up 31% of the student body. Over half of UUֱ students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 19% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.

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