Molecular Mechanisms and Biomarker Perspective of MicroRNAs in Traumatic Brain Injury

Worldwide, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death and disability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), TBI will be the third leading cause of global mortality and disability by the year 2020. It is estimated that each year, TBI affects 1.7 million people resulting in 235,000 hospitalizations. In the United States alone, 50,000 deaths occur per year and currently over 3 million people are living with permanent disabilities due to TBI (Summers et al., 2009). The economic burden of TBI in US is estimated to be US$60 billion annually in total lifetime direct medical 1 Department of Pathology,Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301, Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda,Maryland 20814.