This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Abstract
The majority of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are classified as having a mild TBI. Despite being categorized as mild, these individuals report ongoing and complex symptoms, which negatively affect their ability to complete activities of daily living and overall quality of life. Some of the major symptoms include anxiety, depression, sleep problems, headaches, light sensitivity, and difficulty reading. The root cause for these symptoms is under investigation by many in the field. Of interest, several of these symptoms such as headaches, ocular pain, light sensitivity, and sleep disturbances may overlap and share underlying circuitry influenced by the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). These cells are light sensing, but non–image forming, and they influence corneal function, pupillary constriction, and circadian rhythm. In this review, we discuss these symptoms and propose a role of the ipRGCs as at least one underlying and unifying cause for such symptoms.
Glossary
- DES=
- dry eye syndrome;
- Fos-LI=
- Fos-like immunoreactivity;
- ipRGC=
- intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell;
- NOP=
- neuropathic ocular pain;
- OPN=
- olivary pretectal nucleus;
- PTH=
- posttraumatic headache;
- RNFL=
- retinal nerve fiber layer;
- SCN=
- suprachiasmatic nucleus;
- SSN=
- superior salivatory nucleus;
- TBI=
- traumatic brain injury;
- mTBI=
- mild TBI
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.
- Received January 29, 2020.
- Accepted in final form August 12, 2020.
- © 2020 American Academy of Neurology
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Costs and Utilization of New-to-Market Neurologic Medications
Dr. Robert J. Fox and Dr. Mandy Leonard
► Watch
Topics Discussed
Alert Me
Recommended articles
Diagnostic accuracy of retinal abnormalities in predicting disease activity in MS
The application of optical coherence tomography in neurologic diseases
Optical coherence tomography is highly sensitive in detecting prior optic neuritis
No evidence of disease activity is associated with reduced rate of axonal retinal atrophy in MS