Grant: Catalyst Grant: NWHRI: Innovation Fund - Biomedical Discovery Grants

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious societal and medical issue worldwide that primarily affects women. Of the many challenges faced by IPV survivors, brain injury (BI) is one of the most significant and poorly understood. Initial studies suggest there is evidence of BI in >90% of IPV survivors, and that ~250,000 Canadian women experience an IPV-BI each year. Despite this, concussion in sports receives significantly more research investment and attention, while IPV-BI remains remarkably understudied. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) ranges from mild to severe, with mild TBI (mTBI) being the most common in the general population as well as in IPV. There has been a surge in mTBI (i.e., concussion) research in athletes and military personnel; however, these findings may not be generalizable to IPV-BI. Rather, IPV-BI is likely unique because in IPV mTBI commonly occurs in combination with non-fatal strangulation (NFS), and exposure to stress is inherent to the IPV setting. The effects of combined mTBI and/or NFS and/or stress in IPV may therefore result in a unique or exacerbated form of BI. It is also important to note that the diagnosis of IPV-BI is notoriously poor because BI symptoms are subjective and non-specific. On the other hand, blood tests are objective and sensitive to the biological changes in the brain and can reliably identify BI. Because there are many factors involved in IPV that make it difficult to study purely in humans, we developed the world's first rodent model of IPV-BI, involving both mTBI and NFS, to provide insights into the consequences of these insults. Our research team will now use our innovative rat model of IPV-BI to characterize the individual and synergistic consequences of mTBI and/or NFS and/or stress on brain biology, blood biomarkers, and functional deficits. Findings from our studies will provide a novel foundation of understanding that could one day improve the care of underserved IPV patients.