Corpus Callosum Integrity and Neuropsychological Performance After Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Objective To conduct a detailed analysis of DTI parameters [fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD)] to evaluate white matter integrity in the corpus callosum (CC), and to examine correlations between DTI data and performance on multiple measures of cognitive functioning. Method 12 participants with a history of complicated mild, moderate, or severe TBI, and 12 control participants completed both standardized and experimental neuropsychological testing and an FMRI session, including DTI. Measures Detailed DTI analysis examined between-group and within-group comparisons of DTI parameters and demographic information, as well as measures of episodic memory and executive functioning. Results Differences were found between groups such that the TBI group demonstrated DTI values suggesting decreased white matter integrity, and correlations with injury severity. Both groups showed correlations between DTI parameters and cognitive measures, with more significant correlations observed for the TBI group. White matter changes in the CC were evident chronically, and were related to severity of injury. Conclusions DTI parameters suggesting disruptions in white matter may be implicated in impaired performance, both in terms of cognitive tasks and reaction time, after TBI.

Progression of histopathological and behavioral abnormalities following mild traumatic brain injury in the male ferret

“…This decrease is associated with cognitive impairments and disruptions in white matter integrity after injury (Arenth, Russell, Scanlon, Kessler, & Ricker, 2014;Niogi et al, 2008;Spitz, Maller, O'Sullivan, & Ponsford, 2013). The microglial clusters we observed in this study could be one of the underlying factors affecting FA after TBI.…”

Six Degree-of-Freedom Measurements of Human Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

“…Callosal damage disrupts this communication, affecting perception 24 and causing traditional symptoms of mTBI such as disorientation, amnesia, and impaired visual judgment 77 . Recently, diffusion tensor imaging found that disruption in the corpus callosum impaired performance after brain trauma, both in cognitive tasks and reaction time 4 . The axonal fibers in the corpus callosum responsible for this interhemispheric communication are highly organized directionally left-right.…”

Detection of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury by Machine Learning Classification Using Resting State Functional Network Connectivity and Fractional Anisotropy

“…These outcomes indicate the need for more adequate methods of feature extraction for this modality. The use of all FA voxels did not exclude any of the important brain areas mentioned by other studies, 7,11,12,45 supporting the possibility of high classification performance.…”

“…10 Axonal injuries in white matter seem to concentrate in some important areas of white matter content including genu and splenium of the corpus callosum, the corona radiata, and the internal capsule. 5,7,11,12 The integrity of these and other affected areas is important for normal brain function, because white matter structure reflects functional connections between different areas of the brain. 13,14 Therefore, brain connectivity across the whole brain of patients with mTBI might be compromised because of disconnections occurring as a consequence of injured white matter tracks.…”