Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026
10:59
Investigations on Alterations of Hippocampal Circuit Function Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: November 19, 2012
14.9K
Structural connectivity abnormality in children with acute mild traumatic brain injury using graph theoretical
Weihong Yuan1, Shari L Wade, Lynn Babcock
1Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Division of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio; College of Medicine University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Human Brain Mapping
|November 4, 2014
Summary
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in children disrupts brain network connectivity, affecting hub regions and correlating with symptom severity. This study reveals acute white matter alterations impacting neurological function post-injury.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Radiology
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) often causes diffuse brain injury, disrupting neural network connectivity.
- Understanding acute white matter alterations is crucial for diagnosing and managing pediatric mTBI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in structural brain connectivity between children with mTBI and orthopedic injuries (OI) using graph theory.
- To examine alterations in hub regions and their association with symptom burden in pediatric mTBI.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and graph theoretical analysis were employed.
- Compared structural connectivity in 23 children with mTBI and 20 age-matched children with OI within 96 hours post-injury.
- Assessed symptom burden using the Postconcussion Symptom Scale (PCSS).
Main Results:
- The mTBI group exhibited significantly higher small-worldness, normalized clustering coefficients, normalized characteristic path length, and modularity.
- The mTBI group also showed significantly lower global efficiency compared to the OI group.
- Alterations in hub regions (nodal degree, clustering, between-ness) were observed in the mTBI group, with PCSS scores correlating with specific frontal lobe hubs.
Conclusions:
- mTBI in children leads to acute alterations in white matter at both global and regional network levels.
- These findings enhance understanding of the neurological mechanisms underlying acute mTBI in pediatric populations.
- Network alterations correlate with symptom severity, highlighting potential biomarkers for mTBI assessment.
