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Exploring personalized structural connectomics for moderate to severe traumatic brain injury
Phoebe Imms1, Adam Clemente2, Evelyn Deutscher3
1Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Network Neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
|June 19, 2023
Summary
This study introduces a personalized connectomics approach to analyze brain network changes in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. It reveals significant, patient-specific alterations in brain networks, highlighting individual variability for tailored rehabilitation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Brain Imaging
- Network Science
Background:
- Graph theoretical analysis of structural connectomes aids in understanding brain network alterations in traumatic brain injury (TBI).
- Neuropathological heterogeneity in TBI patients complicates group comparisons due to significant within-group variability.
- Emerging single-subject profiling methods aim to address inter-patient heterogeneity in neurological conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a personalized connectomics approach for examining structural brain alterations in chronic TBI patients.
- To generate individualized profiles of lesion characteristics and network measures for quantitative and qualitative assessment of brain damage at the individual level.
Main Methods:
- Applied a personalized connectomics approach to five chronic moderate to severe TBI patients.
- Utilized anatomical and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
- Generated individualized profiles including lesion characteristics, personalized graph metric plots (GraphMe), and nodal/edge-based network alterations, compared against 12 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated significant alterations in brain networks among TBI patients.
- Observed high inter-patient variability in brain network alterations.
- Individualized profiles provided a detailed assessment of brain damage.
Conclusions:
- The personalized connectomics approach effectively captures inter-patient heterogeneity in TBI.
- Findings support the potential clinical utility for formulating neuroscience-guided, integrative rehabilitation programs.
- This method enables the design of personalized rehabilitation protocols based on individual lesion load and connectome characteristics.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Brain Imaging
Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
01:28Traumatic Brain Injury l: Introduction
DefinitionTraumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a disturbance of normal brain function induced by an external mechanical force, such as a direct blow to the head or a penetrating injury. It can affect both brain structure and function, producing a wide range of clinical outcomes. TBI is a heterogeneous condition, meaning its effects may differ based on the type, location, and severity of the injury.Basis of ClassificationTBI is classified based on severity, injury mechanism, or pathophysiology. In...