title: Alterations in Daytime and Nighttime Activity in Piglets after Focal and Diffuse Brain Injury.
abstract: We have developed and implemented a noninvasive, objective neurofunctional assessment for evaluating the sustained effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in piglets with both diffuse and focal injury types. Derived from commercial actigraphy methods in humans, this assessment continuously monitors the day/night activity of piglets using close-fitting jackets equipped with tri-axial accelerometers to monitor movements of the thorax. Acceleration metrics were correlated (N = 7 naïve piglets) with video images to define values associated with a range of activities, from recumbancy (rest) to running. Both focal (N = 8) and diffuse brain injury (N = 9) produced alterations in activity that were significant 4 days post-TBI. Compared to shams (N = 6) who acclimated to the animal facility 4 days after an anesthesia experience by blurring the distinction between day and night activity, post-TBI time-matched animals had larger fractions of inactive periods during the daytime than nighttime, and larger fractions of active time in the night were spent in high activity (e.g., constant walking, intermittent running) than during the day. These persistent disturbances in rest and activity are similar to those observed in human adults and children post-TBI, establishing actigraphy as a translational metric, used in both humans and large animals, for assessment of injury severity, progressions, and intervention.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Carlie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Badder
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Neuropathology, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, United Kingdom .
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Propert
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Margulies
mesh_terms: D056044:Actigraphy / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology; D000070625:Brain Injuries, Diffuse / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine
keywords: TBI; behavior; pediatric; sleep; symptoms