Cortical Gyrification Morphology in Adult Males with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Cortical gyrification, as a specific measure derived from magnetic resonance imaging, remains understudied in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Local gyrification index (lGI) and mean curvature are related measures indexing the patterned folding of the cortex,ml which reflect distinct properties of cortical morphology and geometry. Using both metrics, we examined cortical gyrification morphology in 59 adult males with mTBI (n = 29) versus those without (n = 30) mTBI in the subacute phase of injury (between 2 weeks and 3 months). The effect of IQ on lGI and brain-symptom relations were also examined. General linear models revealed greater lGI in mTBI versus controls in the frontal lobes bilaterally, but reduced lGI in mTBI of the left temporal lobe. An age-related decrease in lGI was found in numerous areas, with no significant group-by-age interaction effects observed. Including other factors (i.e., mTBI severity, symptoms, and IQ) in the lGI model yielded similar results with few exceptions. Mean curvature analyses depicted a significant group-by-age interaction with the absence of significant main effects of group or age. Our results suggest that cortical gyrification morphology is adversely affected by mTBI in both frontal and temporal lobes, which are thought of as highly susceptible regions to mTBI. These findings contribute to understanding the effects of mTBI on neuromorphological properties, such as alterations in cortical gyrification, which reflect underlying microstructural changes (i.e., apoptosis, neuronal number, or white matter alterations). Future studies are needed to infer causal relationships between micro- and macrostructural changes after an mTBI and investigate potential sex differences.