TY - JOUR
T1 - Diffusion tensor imaging abnormalities in patients with mild traumatic brain injury and neurocognitive impairment
AU - Lo, Calvin
AU - Shifteh, Keivan
AU - Gold, Tamar
AU - Bello, Jacqueline A.
AU - Lipton, Michael L.
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To determine if diffusion tensor imaging can differentiate patients with chronic cognitive impairment after mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) from normal controls. METHODS: Ten patients with persistent cognitive impairment after mild TBI were evaluated at least 2 years after injury. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured at white matter regions susceptible to axonal injury after TBI. Comparison was made to 10 normal controls. RESULTS: Fractional anisotropy was significantly lower (4.5%; P = 0.01) and ADC higher (7.1%; P = 0.04) in patients at the left side of the genu of the corpus callosum. The mild TBI group also demonstrated a significant increase in FA within the posterior limb of the internal capsule bilaterally (left, 5.1%; P = 0.03; right, 1.9%; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate low FA and high ADC in the genu of the corpus callosum of mild TBI patients with persistent cognitive impairment, suggesting that permanent white matter ultrastructural damage occurs in mild TBI, and that such damage may be associated with persistent cognitive disability. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to elucidate the full importance of the findings.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To determine if diffusion tensor imaging can differentiate patients with chronic cognitive impairment after mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) from normal controls. METHODS: Ten patients with persistent cognitive impairment after mild TBI were evaluated at least 2 years after injury. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured at white matter regions susceptible to axonal injury after TBI. Comparison was made to 10 normal controls. RESULTS: Fractional anisotropy was significantly lower (4.5%; P = 0.01) and ADC higher (7.1%; P = 0.04) in patients at the left side of the genu of the corpus callosum. The mild TBI group also demonstrated a significant increase in FA within the posterior limb of the internal capsule bilaterally (left, 5.1%; P = 0.03; right, 1.9%; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate low FA and high ADC in the genu of the corpus callosum of mild TBI patients with persistent cognitive impairment, suggesting that permanent white matter ultrastructural damage occurs in mild TBI, and that such damage may be associated with persistent cognitive disability. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to elucidate the full importance of the findings.
KW - Cognitive impairment
KW - Diffusion tensor imaging
KW - Traumatic brain injury
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U2 - 10.1097/RCT.0b013e31817579d1
DO - 10.1097/RCT.0b013e31817579d1
M3 - Article
C2 - 19346863
AN - SCOPUS:64749090987
SN - 0363-8715
VL - 33
SP - 293
EP - 297
JO - Journal of computer assisted tomography
JF - Journal of computer assisted tomography
IS - 2
ER -