Disrupted functional network connectivity predicts cognitive impairment after acute mild traumatic brain injury

This study aimed to detect alterations of brain functional connectivity (FC) in acute mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and to estimate the extent to which these FC differences predicted the characteristics of posttraumatic cognitive impairment.

Resting-state fMRI data were acquired from acute mTBI patients (n = 50) and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 43). Resting-state networks (RSNs) were established based on independent component analysis (ICA), and functional network connectivity (FNC) analysis was performed. Subsequently, we analyzed the correlations between FNC abnormalities and cognitive impairment outcomes.

Altered FC within the salience network (SN), sensorimotor network (SMN), default mode network (DMN), executive control network (ECN), visual network (VN), and cerebellum network (CN) was found in the mTBI group relative to the HC group. Moreover, different patterns of altered network interactions were found between the mTBI patients and HCs, including the SN-CN, VN-SMN, and ECN-DMN connections. Correlations between functional disconnection and cognitive impairment measurements in acute mTBI patients were also found.

This study indicated that widespread FNC impairment and altered integration existed in mTBI patients at acute stage, suggesting that FNC disruption as a biomarker may be applied for the early diagnosis and prediction of cognitive impairment in mTBI.