Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global health concern, with prevalence rates of symptomatic TBI across a wide variety of countries ranging from 219 per 100 000 to 2356 per 100 000 per year.1 Within the United States alone, every year, at least 1.7 million TBIs occur either as an isolated injury or along with other injuries.2 And related to the last decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as from other military activities, there have been 273 859 US military TBIs since 2000.3 A TBI can have devastating effect on the life and functioning of the individual, with huge costs. Indirect costs of lost productivity and direct medical costs from TBI in the United States are estimated to be more than $75 billion per year.4 To address the need for a text that covers the breadth and complexity of TBI, Zasler, Katz, and Zafonte published the first edition of Brain Injury Medicine: Principles and Practice in 2007. As the field has dramatically developed over the past 6 years, an updated version was warranted. This second edition is an expansion of the earlier edition, with the addition of several new topic areas, such as autonomic dysfunction, functional mobility, and therapeutic recreation and leisure, which are relevant to the field. Overall, the editors took a fresh approach to organizing the content. With the reorganization, some topics are now incorporated into chapters on broader issues (eg, decision-making capacity was subsumed within the "Ethics in Brain Injury Medicine" chapter), but overall the topics included in the first edition are included within the second edition. As such, those interested in the topic of TBI need only purchase the second edition.

The second edition of Brain Injury Medicine has 86 chapters organized within 19 sections. The text is almost 1500 pages of information covering topics from epidemiology and broader public health issues to perspectives, pathophysiology and injury characteristics, prognosis and outcomes, clinical care through the continuum, special populations, clinical manifestations of the injury, and interventions to promote community reentry after TBI. Overall, the chapters are well written, with a general review of the topic and some delving into the details of the specific issues and complexities. However, given the sheer number of topics covered in the text, each discussion is limited in depth. A reflection on the state of the science, there is more limited information presented within chapters on some critical topics that the field needs to address, including long-term outcomes and implications for the aging process, changing roles across the life span, social competence, and adverse outcomes (eg, suicide, criminal activity). Although some of these topics were touched upon and some authors provided their thoughts on where the field needs to focus in the future, given the limitations of current knowledge, a chapter that pulled those thoughts together would have ended the book nicely. With that said, there are some wonderful chapters that grapple with topical issues, such as understanding neuroplasticity and the state of the science for cognitive rehabilitation, that assist the reader in understanding what is currently known and how much there is yet to learn about the brain and how it adapts and recovers. The field of authors is quite impressive, with inclusion of professionals from key disciplines that serve TBI populations, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, psychiatry, psychology, neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychiatry, audiology, and recreation therapy. The majority of authors are from the United States, although the editors did attempt to include a more international perspective by including authors from other countries. In addition, some chapters do try to present data and information about non-US TBI populations, care approaches, and outcomes; however, this information is more limited. As such, readers from outside the United States may find some of the data of more limited value for application within their own countries. However, it is duly noted that the TBI literature is most rich for US populations and so this text most likely represents the most comprehensive review available. There is an additional e-chapter with accompanying videos on the topic of managing physical agitation in patients with TBI, which is a fantastic addition and of great value. It would have been wonderful to have accompanying videos for the assessment and intervention chapters to illustrate techniques and procedures for students.

Overall, this text provides a solid overview of the key topics and clinical and professional issues that are relevant to the TBI field and thus it can serve as a desk reference that will be picked up often. The chapters in Brain Injury Medicine are deeply rooted in research and theory as the editors have pulled together some of the most prominent researchers and clinicians in the field of TBI as contributors for this book. When necessary, opinions are offered on the basis of current knowledge in the specialty areas with suggestions for future directions for research. The chapters include summary tables, figures, and important images that assist the reader in understanding the core issues and points. Terminology and concepts are explained well, with apparent recognition that the readership may come from a variety of backgrounds and levels of experience. Thus, new clinicians and experienced providers alike will easily be able to glean important understanding for each topic area discussed. Brain Injury Medicine could easily serve as the main text for graduate coursework focused on brain injury as well as a desk reference for experienced clinicians.

-Kathleen B. Kortte, PhD, ABPP-CN/RP

Director

The Johns Hopkins Outpatient

NeuroRehabilitation Program

Associate Professor

Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Baltimore, Maryland

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