# Endophenotypes of Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms in Adolescents: CARE4Kids

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2021 · $1,785,931

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT – Research Project
Concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is the most common type of acquired brain injury in children
and adolescents. While the majority of youth with concussion recover within 2-4 weeks, a substantial subset
(15-30%) take longer to recover and develop persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS). This group
experiences worse function, more pain and seeks a greater amount of medical assessments and treatments.
Prolonged impairments in early and middle adolescents (EMA) can result in changes in developmental trajectory
and long-term disability. There is no single agreed upon definition for PPCS and predictive algorithms are largely
based on nonspecific subjective clinical symptoms. Furthermore, there are currently no good preventive
strategies or targeted treatments. It is a major public health challenge to develop objective biological markers
that better predict PPCS, which will provide the opportunity for improved prognostication, potential preventive
interventions and new therapeutics based on underlying biological mechanisms. It is the central goal of this
CARE4Kids Center Without Walls to discover objective autonomic, imaging and blood-based biomarkers
that, when integrated with neuropsychological and neurological signs and symptoms, will optimally
predict PPCS in EMA. Once identified, these biomarkers and clinical measures will then be validated in a more
generalized group and developed into an improved predictive algorithm for PPCS. The linkage of objective
biological measures to different clinical phenotypes (termed endophenotypes in this application) will provide a
mechanistic understanding of different types of PPCS. It is hypothesized that endophenotypes may share
pathobiology with migraine, dysautonomia, anxiety, depression or other symptoms commonly seen in those with
PPCS. By understanding the underlying neurobiology of PPCS, it will become possible to develop mechanism-
based prevention or treatment measures.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10203603
- **Project number:** 1U54NS121688-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTOPHER C GIZA
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,785,931
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-08 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10203603

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10203603, Endophenotypes of Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms in Adolescents: CARE4Kids (1U54NS121688-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10203603. Licensed CC0.

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