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Advanced Diffusion Imaging in The Hippocampus of Rats with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 14, 2019
Microstructural abnormalities in deep and superficial white matter in youths with mild traumatic brain injury
Sonja Stojanovski1, Arash Nazeri2, Christian Lepage3
1Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Background:
Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) have focused on alterations in microstructural features of deep white matter fibers (DWM), though post-mortem studies have demonstrated that injured axons are often observed at the gray-white matter interface where superficial white matter fibers (SWM) mediate local connectivity.
Objectives:
To examine microstructural alterations in SWM and DWM in youths with a history of mild TBI and examine the relationship between white matter alterations and attention.
Methods:
Using DTIDWM fractional anisotropy (FA) and SWM FA in youths with mild TBI (TBI, n=63) were compared to typically developing and psychopathology matched control groups (n=63 each). Following tract-based spatial statistics, SWM FA was assessed by applying a probabilistic tractography derived SWM mask, and DWM FA was captured with a white matter fiber tract mask. Voxel-wise z-score calculations were used to derive a count of voxels with abnormally high and low FA for each participant. Analyses examined DWM and SWM FA differences between TBI and control groups, the relationship between attention and DWM and SWM FA and the relative susceptibility of SWM compared to DWM FA to alterations associated with mild TBI.
Results:
Case-based comparisons revealed more voxels with low FA and fewer voxels with high FA in SWM in youths with mild TBI compared to both control groups. Equivalent comparisons in DWM revealed a similar pattern of results, however, no group differences for low FA in DWM were found between mild TBI and the control group with matched psychopathology. Slower processing speed on the attention task was correlated with the number of voxels with low FA in SWM in youths with mild TBI.
Conclusions:
Within a sample of youths with a history of mild TBI, this study identified abnormalities in SWM microstructure associated with processing speed. The majority of DTI studies of TBI have focused on long-range DWM fiber tracts, often overlooking the SWM fiber type.
Insights
Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in youths is linked to superficial white matter (SWM) abnormalities, impacting processing speed. These SWM changes, often overlooked in TBI research, are associated with attention deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) predominantly examine deep white matter (DWM) alterations.
- Post-mortem evidence indicates axonal injury at the gray-white matter interface, involving superficial white matter (SWM) fibers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate microstructural changes in SWM and DWM in adolescents with a history of mild TBI.
- To explore the relationship between white matter integrity and attention in this population.
Main Methods:
- Compared fractional anisotropy (FA) in SWM and DWM between youths with mild TBI (n=63) and matched controls (n=63 each) using DTI.
- Applied tract-based spatial statistics with probabilistic tractography for SWM and white matter fiber tract masks for DWM.
- Quantified voxel-wise FA abnormalities (high and low) and analyzed correlations with attention task performance.
Main Results:
- Youths with mild TBI exhibited more low FA and fewer high FA voxels in SWM compared to controls.
- Similar, though less pronounced, DWM FA alterations were observed, with no significant group difference in low FA for DWM in the psychopathology-matched group.
- Lower processing speed on an attention task correlated with increased low FA voxels in SWM.
Conclusions:
- Mild TBI in youths is associated with SWM microstructural abnormalities linked to processing speed deficits.
- This study highlights the importance of examining SWM, which is often overlooked in TBI research focusing on DWM.
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