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Advanced Diffusion Imaging in The Hippocampus of Rats with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 14, 2019
Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging in preterm brain injury
Anand S Pandit1, Gareth Ball, A David Edwards
1Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, First Floor, South Wing, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.
Insights
Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (d-MRI) effectively detects white matter injury in preterm infants. These findings correlate with neurodevelopmental outcomes, aiding early intervention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Preterm birth can lead to white matter injury and abnormal maturation, contributing to neurodevelopmental disabilities.
- Early detection of white matter maturation abnormalities is crucial for managing preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the basic concepts and analytical methods of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (d-MRI).
- To discuss neuroimaging findings of preterm brain injury across different life stages.
- To explore the link between d-MRI measures and neurodevelopmental performance.
Main Methods:
- Literature review using PubMed and Google Scholar searches conducted before March 2013.
Main Results:
- Premature birth impacts cerebral white matter from term-equivalent age through adulthood.
- d-MRI identifies disruptions in white matter development linked to impaired motor, cognitive, and behavioral performance.
Conclusions:
- d-MRI is a valuable tool for assessing white matter injury in preterm infants.
- Advancements in d-MRI offer potential as a biomarker for predicting outcomes and evaluating interventions.
Introduction:
White matter injury and abnormal maturation are thought to be major contributors to the neurodevelopmental disabilities observed in children and adolescents who were born preterm. Early detection of abnormal white matter maturation is important in the design of preventive, protective, and rehabilitative strategies for the management of the preterm infant. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (d-MRI) has become a valuable tool in assessing white matter maturation and injury in survivors of preterm birth. In this review, we aim to (1) describe the basic concepts of d-MRI; (2) evaluate the methods that are currently used to analyse d-MRI; (3) discuss neuroimaging correlates of preterm brain injury observed at term corrected age; during infancy, adolescence and in early adulthood; and (4) explore the relationship between d-MRI measures and subsequent neurodevelopmental performance.
Methods:
References for this review were identified through searches of PubMed and Google Scholar before March 2013.
Results:
The impact of premature birth on cerebral white matter can be observed from term-equivalent age through to adulthood. Disruptions to white matter development, identified by d-MRI, are related to diminished performance in functional domains including motor performance, cognition and behaviour in early childhood and in later life.
Conclusion:
d-MRI is an effective tool for investigating preterm white matter injury. With advances in image acquisition and analysis approaches, d-MRI has the potential to be a biomarker of subsequent outcome and to evaluate efficacy of clinical interventions in this population.
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