Each year, emergency departments in the US treat almost 700,000 people for traumatic brain injury (TBI). The outcome depends largely on the severity and location of the injury, but these aren’t the only factors. Age also plays a role, with children often recovering more fully than do adults. The patient’s diet following the injury may also have an impact. Using a fruit fly model of TBI, research published in the December issue of G3 examined the contributions of these factors to TBI mortality.

Much of the damage caused by TBI doesn’t occur during the primary injury: secondary injury—which is caused by inflammation, overactivation of certain receptors, and other contributors—also affects TBI outcomes. The authors had previously demonstrated in flies that the severity of secondary injuries depends on age at the time of injury and diet following the injury, with younger age and no food predicting better outcomes. In the present work, the authors compared different strains of flies and found that the mortality rate following TBI was affected by age and diet in some strains but not in others. This suggests that genetic background is an important factor in this model of TBI, which agrees with evidence from severe human TBI cases that variants in several genes influence mortality. Some of these variants also act in an age-dependent fashion.

The researchers also conclude that age and diet affect mortality through independent mechanisms, since mortality in some strains was affected by diet but not age and in others it was affected by age but not diet. And interestingly, these separate pathways seem to act synergistically—in flies susceptible to the damaging effects of advanced age and post-injury feeding, the combination of the two factors increased mortality to a greater extent than the sum of the individual effects.

The researchers also found gene expression changes consistent with activation of the innate immune system after TBI, some of which depended on age and diet, although they aren’t able to say with certainty that the injuries to the head and not to the rest of the body caused the change. The procedure the researchers used to induce TBI undoubtedly causes damage to tissues other than the brain, and since the authors tested whole flies rather than just fly heads, they can’t firmly conclude that the changes in gene expression occurred in the brain. By further testing these results in flies and other animals, it might be possible to design better protocols—perhaps even genotype-based—for post-TBI care.

CITATION:

Katzenberger, R.; Ganetzky, B.; Wassarman, D. Age and Diet Affect Genetically Separable Secondary Injuries that Cause Acute Mortality Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Drosophila.
G3, 6(12), 4151-4166.
DOI:10.1534/g3.116.036194
http://www.g3journal.org/content/6/12/4151.full

, , , ,

Nicole Haloupek is a freelance science writer and a recent graduate of UC Berkeley's molecular and cell biology PhD program.

View all posts by Nicole Haloupek »

Read more in

  • Early Career Leadership Spotlight: Julio Molina Pineda 

    We’re taking time to get to know the members of the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Committees. Join us to learn more about our early career scientist advocates. Julio Molina Pineda  Policy and Advocacy University of Arkansas Research Interest  My research interests focus on using model organisms to genetically dissect complex traits related to human disease. My…

  • Peiwei Chen

    Early Career Leadership Spotlight: Peiwei Chen

    We’re taking time to get to know the members of the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Committees. Join us to learn more about our early career scientist advocates. Peiwei Chen Accessibility Subcommittee California Institute of Technology Research Interest Far from a harmonious place, the genome is a battleground, where every bit of DNA fights for inheritance and…

  • #Dros23 GSA Poster Award winners

    We are pleased to announce the GSA Poster Award winners from the 64th Annual Drosophila Research Conference! Undergraduate and graduate student members of the GSA were eligible for the awards, and a hard-working team of postdocs volunteered their time as judges. Congratulations to all! Undergraduate Students 1st Place: Sofia Karter Lopez, University of Toronto “Rab11 mediates E-cadherin recycling during…

  • Congratulations to the Fall 2022 DeLill Nasser Awardees!

    GSA is pleased to announce the recipients of the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics for Fall 2022! Given twice a year to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, DeLill Nasser Awards support attendance at meetings and laboratory courses. The award is named in honor of DeLill Nasser, a long-time GSA supporter and National Science Foundation…

  • GENETICS & G3 editors

    New editors join GENETICS, G3 editorial boards

    Several new editors are joining the GSA Journals. We’re excited to welcome Ricardo Zayas to the GENETICS editorial board under the Molecular Genetics of Development section, and on the G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics board, we welcome Polly Campbell, Kevin Vogel, Joe Parker, and Ricardo Mallarino. Ricardo Zayas Associate Editor Ricardo Zayas is a Professor of Biology at…

  • Worms and Flies Provide Key Clues to Medical Mystery

    This article is part of a series of posts outlining the history and impact of research in experimental organisms. The series is developed in collaboration with the GSA Public Communications and Engagement Committee. By the time Bertrand Might was six months old, it was clear something was amiss. His muscles weren’t developing normally; he was…

  • Congratulations to the 2023 Early Career Leadership Program Cohort!

    The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is excited to announce the latest cohort of student, postdoc, and early-career research leaders joining the Early Career Leadership Program.  Participants receive training and mentoring while serving on committees charged with understanding the needs, interests, concerns, and challenges of early career scientist members of the GSA. As part of…

  • 64th Annual Drosophila Research Conference March 1–5, 2023 Chicago, IL and online

    GSA LOCI: Local Outreach Community Initiatives @ GSA Conferences

    Highlights: Local Outreach Community Initiatives (LOCI): The Genetics Society of America is committed to supporting the communities of the host cities of our conferences. This new year, we are excited to reconnect with our GSA community in meaningful ways within and beyond our existing programming. The GSA membership has created a caring and supportive environment…

  • Headshots of the 5 elected members of the GSA Board of Directors on a black background.

    New members of the GSA Board of Directors: 2023–2025

    We are pleased to announce the election of five new leaders to the GSA Board of Directors: 2023 Vice President/2024 President Mariana Wolfner Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow My research has focused on the genes and pathways that mediate sexual development and reproduction, primarily in Drosophila. From…

  • Lance David Miller

    Lance David Miller: Lighting Your Own Fire by Finding the Right Resources

    By Daniel J. Gironda In the Paths to Science Policy series, we talk to individuals who have a passion for science policy and are active in advocacy through their various roles and careers. The series aims to inform and guide early career scientists interested in science policy. This series is brought to you by the…

  • Graça Almeida-Porada: The Importance of Communication in a Technologically Advancing World

    By Daniel J. Gironda In the Paths to Science Policy series, we talk to individuals who have a passion for science policy and are active in advocacy through their various roles and careers. The series aims to inform and guide early career scientists interested in science policy. This series is brought to you by the…