Bringing attention into higher focus within the traumatic brain injury research agenda

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) holds a unique position within children’s health. It has been clear for decades that TBI is the leading cause of death and disability of children (1,2). However, only recently has the impact of TBI on developing brain gained the attention of the public and lay press due to the attention paid toward injuries in sports such as football, boxing and others. Guidelines for caring for children with mild (3-5) and severe (6) injuries have been assiduously developed from the available literature, yet the proven therapies have remained elusive. Recently, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the European Commission and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have led (and funded) efforts to address the burden of TBI with the International Initiative for Traumatic Brain Injury Research (InTBIR) with the goal of “working together to improve outcomes and lessen the global burden of TBI by 2020” (7).