The Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (CENC) multi-centre observational study: Description of study and characteristics of early participants.
To establish and comprehensively evaluate a large cohort of US veterans who served in recent military conflicts in order to better understand possible chronic and late-life effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), including those that may stem from neurodegeneration.



Cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal.



Inclusion criteria are prior combat exposure and deployment(s) in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom or one of their follow-on conflicts (collectively OEF/OIF). Effects of mTBI will be assessed by enrolling participants across the entire spectrum of mTBI, from entirely negative to many mTBIs. Longitudinal assessments consist of in-person comprehensive testing at least every 5 years, with interval annual telephonic testing. The primary outcome is the composite score on the NIH Toolbox neuropsychological test battery. Assessments also include structured interviews, questionnaires, traditional neuropsychological testing, motor, sensory and vestibular functions, neuroimaging, electrophysiology, genotypes and biomarkers.



The authors fully describe the study methods and measures and report demographic and exposure characteristics from the early portion of the cohort of OEF/OIF veterans.



This centrepiece observational study of the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (CENC) is successfully launched and, within several years, should provide fertile data to begin investigating its aims.
a Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , VA , USA.|b Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Richmond , VA , USA.|c Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center , Richmond , VA , USA.
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Walker
a Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , VA , USA.|b Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Richmond , VA , USA.
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Carne
a Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , VA , USA.|b Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Richmond , VA , USA.|c Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center , Richmond , VA , USA.
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Franke
d RTI International , Research Triangle Park , NC , USA.
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Nolen
e Department of Rehabilitation Medicine , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA.
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Dikmen
a Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , VA , USA.|b Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Richmond , VA , USA.
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d RTI International , Research Triangle Park , NC , USA.
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Wilson
f HSR&D Center of Innovation on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (CINDRR) , Tampa , FL , USA.|g Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences , James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital (VH) , Tampa , FL , USA.|h Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences , University of South Florida , Tampa , FL , USA.
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Belanger
d RTI International , Research Triangle Park , NC , USA.
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Williams
D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015835:Ocular Motility Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans; D055815:Young Adult
Concussion; cohort studies; military; post-concussion syndrome; traumatic brain injury; veterans