Body-Brain TBI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Body-Brain interactions in Traumatic Brain Injury (BB-TBI)
IRAS ID
344877
Contact name
Lucia M. Li
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
6 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a common neurological condition, affecting over 40,000 people in the UK each year. TBI can lead to serious long-term problems, including cognitive issues, anxiety, sleep disorders, and a 2-3 times higher risk of developing dementia. Recent studies also show that TBI increases the risk of health problems in the rest of the body, such as heart problems. This suggests that TBI affects not only the brain but also triggers long-term changes in the whole body. Therefore, TBI may lead to long-lasting problems affecting the brain and body because it leads to chronic inflammation. However, this has not been studied before.
This study investigates whether there is increased inflammation and other immune changes in chronic TBI, how these changes may arise, and their clinical impact.
We will recruit participants who have chronic TBI and control participants who have never had a TBI. Participants can take part in up to 6 modules, each assessing different aspects of brain injury and immune function, in NHS hospital and university research sites. Modules 1-3 are compulsory for all participants, and comprises routine clinical data collection, clinical assessment of functional outcomes and clinical symptoms relevant to TBI, and blood samples to assess for inflammatory proteins. Module 4 comprises an MRI scan to assess detailed brain structure and function, to investigate whether specific types of injury are more likely to lead to immune changes. Module 5 comprises collection of cerebrospinal fluid from a lumbar puncture ("spinal tap") to assess whether inflammation in the body and brain are matched. Module 6 comprises studying the immune response to a standard flu vaccine, to investigate whether this aspect of immune function is impaired in TBI.
The study is anticipated to run over 5 years, with participants being followed up for a maximum of 1 year.
REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
25/WA/0210
Date of REC Opinion
1 Aug 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion