# CONNECT-TBI

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $1,802,951

## Abstract

OVERALL
CONNECT-TBI Program Summary
In the past several decades, there has been steadily increasing attention to the neuropathological effects of
traumatic brain injury (TBI). Intense media attention has focused on the association of repetitive mild TBI with
contact sports and have highlighted the risk of neurodegenerative changes including the widely discussed
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Unfortunately, little is known about the broader process of TBI-
Related Neurodegeneration (TRenD) which encompasses a complex spectrum of pathologies induced by TBI,
across all mechanisms and severity levels of injury. Arguably the greatest inhibitor of progress in this field is
the limited number of suitable human brain tissue samples and their distribution among disparate research and
clinical institutions. To overcome this, the proposed center without walls known as COllaborative
Neuropathology NEtwork Characterizing ouTcomes of TBI (CONNECT-TBI) will be comprised of 26 leading
expert investigators in TBI from 12 renowned institutions to generate an unparalleled, comprehensive
neuropathological and clinical data resource and conduct a comprehensive research effort into the spectrum of
pathologies in all types and severities of TBI. Three Cores – Administrative, Brain Bank, and Data Coordinating
– will coordinate and support the collation and examination of over 2800 existing TBI case materials and over
7000 samples from patients with related neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, CONNECT-TBI will
establish tissue donation protocols for ongoing sample enrollment in the coming years. This resource will be
utilized to generate a consensus in the operational criteria for the diagnosis of TReNDs across all range and
subtypes and to evaluate the extent and distribution of all neuropathologies resulting from TBI exposure.
Furthermore, the center will seek to contrast the phenotypes of TReNDs with that of wider neurodegenerative
disease and with aging processes. In all, the CONNECT-TBI collaboration will represent a broad,
comprehensive exploration of the intricate neuropathological changes following TBI.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10241890
- **Project number:** 5U54NS115322-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Douglas Hamilton Smith
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,802,951
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10241890

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10241890, CONNECT-TBI (5U54NS115322-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10241890. Licensed CC0.

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