Empirically patients with acquired brain injury (ABI) are often constipated. This is a major clinical issue. Nevertheless, this has only been sparsely studied.

The investigators will measure gastrointestinal transit time (GITT) in 30 patients with ABI, and compare this to healthy controls. Secondly heart rate variability (HRV) is measured in these patients, and associations between HRV and GITT are investigated.

Inclusion Criteria:

• ABI:
• Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) (Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score 3-12 at admission)
• or Stroke
• or Anoxic brain injury
• Ability to swallow the capsules used to assess GITT
• Ability to give meaningful informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Major abdominal disorders
• Severe acute comorbidity
• Known cancer
• Pregnancy
• Known autonomic neuropathy
• Other known neurological disorder

Patients at Hammel Neurocenter and University Clinic, during rehabilitation after aquired brain injury