Emotional Resilience Predicts Preserved White Matter Microstructure Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neuropsychology
• Traumatic Brain Injury Research

Background:

• Adult mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients display distinct emotional and cognitive phenotypes.
• Latent clinical profiles identified early after mTBI can predict long-term outcomes.
• This study investigated white matter (WM) microstructure differences between mTBI phenotypes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the hypothesis that WM microstructure is better preserved in emotionally resilient mTBI phenotypes compared to distressed phenotypes.
• To identify neuroimaging biomarkers for mTBI resilience.

Main Methods:

• Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) was used to analyze WM microstructure.
• 172 mTBI patients' dMRI data were analyzed using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at 2 weeks and 6 months post-injury.
• WM microstructure was compared between emotional resilience and distress phenotypes across major white matter tracts.

Main Results:

• Emotionally resilient mTBI patients exhibited higher axial diffusivity early after injury compared to distressed patients.
• Neuropsychiatrically distressed patients showed greater WM microstructure compromise over 6 months post-injury.
• Longitudinal analysis revealed significant decreases in axial diffusivity in distressed patients.

Conclusions:

• Neuroimaging reveals WM microstructural differences underlying mTBI phenotypes.
• dMRI provides short- and long-term imaging biomarkers for mTBI resilience.
• WM microstructure integrity differs between resilient and distressed mTBI patient trajectories.