Relationship Between Structural and Functional Network Connectivity Changes for Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause subtle alterations in brain connectivity.
• Combining structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC) offers a comprehensive approach to understanding TBI's effects.
• Assessing white matter integrity (SC) and functional correlations (FC) is crucial for TBI research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alterations in structural and functional brain connectivity in TBI patients.
• To compare connectivity patterns between TBI patients with and without chronic symptoms (TBIcs/TBIncs) and healthy controls (CG).
• To identify distinct connectivity changes associated with the presence of chronic TBI symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Utilized diffusion tensor imaging to measure structural connectivity (SC).
• Assessed functional connectivity (FC) by examining functional correlations within and between brain networks.
• Compared SC and FC metrics among TBI patients (TBIcs, TBIncs) and a healthy control group (CG).

Main Results:

• Global SC-FC correlation was significantly increased in both TBI groups versus CG.
• SC was significantly lower in the TBIcs group compared to CG.
• FC alterations were observed in the TBIncs group versus CG, and distinct FC differences were noted between TBIcs and TBIncs groups.

Conclusions:

• The presence of chronic symptoms in TBI is associated with specific SC and FC changes.
• TBI with chronic symptoms shows SC atrophy and a mix of functional hypo/hyperconnectivity.
• Chronic TBI symptoms correlate with a loss of functional network segregation.