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Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Cognitive Processing and Modifies Oscillatory Brain Activity during Attentional
Hanna Kaltiainen1,2,3,4, Mia Liljeström1,2, Liisa Helle1,2,5
11 Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, Espoo, Finland.
Journal of Neurotrauma
|March 22, 2019
Summary
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients show altered brain activity during cognitive tasks. Specifically, changes in 8- to 14-Hz oscillatory activity during the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) may serve as objective markers for cognitive difficulties.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Neurology
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is prevalent, yet objective diagnostic tools for associated cognitive complaints remain insufficient.
- Understanding the neurophysiological underpinnings of cognitive impairment after mTBI is crucial for improved diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify neuronal correlates of cognitive difficulties in mTBI patients.
- To evaluate alterations in brain oscillatory activity during cognitive tasks using magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Main Methods:
- Compared resting-state and task-based (PASAT, VT) MEG oscillatory activity between 25 mTBI patients and 20 healthy controls.
- Analyzed differences in brain activity during cognitive load, focusing on 8- to 14-Hz oscillations and alpha peak frequency.
- Correlated neurophysiological findings with behavioral performance on the Trail Making Test.
Main Results:
- mTBI patients showed significantly stronger attenuation of 8- to 14-Hz activity in the left parietotemporal cortex during PASAT compared to controls.
- Task-related modulation in the left superior frontal gyrus and right prefrontal cortex was unique to mTBI patients.
- Alpha peak frequency declined in mTBI patients during PASAT, unlike controls, and correlated negatively with cognitive performance.
Conclusions:
- Altered cortical oscillatory activity during cognitive load provides measurable neurophysiological correlates for cognitive difficulties in mTBI.
- These findings suggest potential objective biomarkers for individual-level assessment of mTBI-related cognitive impairment.
- MEG-based analysis of brain oscillations offers a promising avenue for diagnosing and understanding mTBI sequelae.
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