Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO2) for Persistent Post-concussive Symptoms After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)

Study Summary

This is a Phase II randomized trial designed to describe the magnitude of change between baseline and follow-up outcomes for symptom surveys and a battery of neuropsychological tests administered at time points corresponding before and after 10 weeks over observation in four groups: * A military population with post-concussion syndrome (mTBI) receiving local standard care * A military population with post-concussion syndrome (mTBI) receiving local standard care and sham hyperbaric oxygen sessions * A military population with post-concussion syndrome (mTBI) receiving local standard care and hyperbaric oxygen at 1.5 atmospheres sessions * A otherwise similar group with PTSD but no history of TBI receiving local standard care Differences and variability of the tests will be used for determining the optimum primary endpoint(s) for future trial, as well as for refinement of sample size and power calculations for these studies. The groups undergoing hyperbaric sessions will be assigned to receive HBO2 or sham using a randomized, double blind design. Active duty military (Army, Marine, Navy, Air Force) men and non-pregnant women residing in the United States and who will remain in the military for the entire study period, aged 18-65 years who have been deployed one or more times to the US Central Command since the initiation of Operation Enduring Freedom (October 7, 2001) who either: * have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of traumatic events that occurred during the qualifying CENTCOM deployment, but have no diagnosed or suspected lifetime brain injuries resulting in loss or alteration of consciousness; OR * have been diagnosed with at least one mild brain injury (mTBI) with persistent (\> 4 months) symptoms sustained during one or more of those deployments

Primary Outcome

The Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptom Questionnaire (RPQ)/RPQ-3 was created to measure the severity of post-concussion symptoms following traumatic brain injury. The scale compares any current symptoms to pre-injury levels to account for potential symptom exacerbation due to the TBI. The RPQ is the most commonly used clinical outcome measure for mild TBI research because it is simple and reflects psychosocial function. The RPQ is intended to measure the presence and severity of 16 of the most co

Interventions

• DRUG hyperbaric oxygen
• OTHER sham hyperbaric air