Dynamic Functional Connectivity in Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Brain Imaging
• Pediatric Neurology

Background:

• Pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (pmTBI) can disrupt neurodevelopmental trajectories.
• Dynamic brain states, identified via resting-state fMRI, are crucial for cognitive function.
• Understanding pmTBI's impact on brain dynamics is vital for assessing recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alterations in dynamic and static brain connectivity following pmTBI in children and adolescents.
• To examine changes in brain states at subacute and early chronic stages post-injury.
• To correlate connectivity changes with injury severity and symptom burden.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used in 200 pmTBI patients (ages 8-18) and 179 healthy controls (HC).
• K-means clustering analyzed time-varying phase coherence to identify dynamic brain states.
• Static functional connectivity was assessed using signal correlations.

Main Results:

• Patients with pmTBI exhibited reduced time spent in a frontotemporal default mode/limbic brain state.
• Static connectivity alterations were observed between the precuneus, thalamus, supplementary motor area, and cerebellum.
• No significant relationship was found between connectivity changes and symptom burden or injury severity.

Conclusions:

• Brain dynamics are altered up to four months after pmTBI, impacting vulnerable brain regions.
• Altered dynamic brain states suggest persistent functional changes post-injury.
• Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the long-term neurodevelopmental implications.