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White Matter Integrity and Motor Function Disruption Due to Traumatic Brain Injury in Piglets: Impacts on

Madison M Fagan1,2,3, Kelly M Scheulin1,2,3, Sydney E Sneed1,3

  • 1Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, 425 River Rd., Athens, GA 30602, USA.

Brain Sciences
|March 28, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography detects acute white matter injury after pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). This imaging method correlates with motor deficits, offering potential biomarkers for TBI outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Radiology
  • Pediatric Medicine

Background:

  • Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently causes long-term motor disabilities.
  • Assessing TBI severity early is crucial for prognosis and rehabilitation planning.
  • Conventional MRI, like T2 Weighted (T2W) sequences, has limitations in evaluating microstructural white matter damage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To utilize Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) tractography for detecting acute white matter integrity changes in motor-related brain regions post-TBI.
  • To correlate DTI findings with motor function deficits in a pediatric TBI model.

Main Methods:

  • Piglets underwent either sham craniectomy or controlled cortical impact TBI.
  • Gait analysis and MRI (including T2W and DTI) were performed seven days post-surgery.
  • DTI tractography was used to analyze white matter integrity (ADC and FA values) in motor pathways.

Main Results:

  • T2W imaging showed localized injury in the ipsilateral hemisphere of TBI piglets.
  • TBI piglets exhibited increased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in motor-related white matter tracts compared to controls.
  • TBI piglets displayed significant gait deficits, including reduced stride and step length.

Conclusions:

  • DTI tractography effectively detects acute white matter integrity reductions in key motor regions following pediatric TBI.
  • These microstructural changes detected by DTI correlate strongly with observed motor deficits.
  • DTI-based biomarkers show promise for evaluating motor outcomes in pediatric TBI.

Keywords:
diffusion tensor imagingmotor functionpediatric TBIpiglet model

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