Right Frontal Pole Cortical Thickness and Social Competence in Children With Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

The association between right frontal lobe cortical integrity and social competence in pediatric participants with chronic TBI may be mediated through cognitive proficiency.

Utility of the General Ability Index (GAI) and Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) with survivors of pediatric brain tumors: Comparison to Full Scale IQ and premorbid IQ estimates

“…Neuroanatomically, cognitive proficiency is associated with the integrity of white matter tracts in the brain (Turken et al, 2008) and appears to be uniquely sensitive to decline from neurological conditions that compromise white matter connectivity, as seen in other medical populations (e.g., epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury; Gottlieb, Zelko, Kim, & Nordli, 2012; Levan, Baxter, Kirwan, Black, & Gale, 2015; Sanfilipo, Benedict, Weinstock-Guttman, & Bakshi, 2006; Turken et al, 2008). Similarly, in pediatric cancer, reductions in normal appearing white matter volumes appear to moderate associations between CNS-directed therapies (e.g., cranial RT, intrathecal chemotherapy) and neurocognitive dysfunction (Reddick et al, 2005; Reddick et al, 2003), including cognitive proficiency (Aukema et al, 2009).…”

The Relation of Focal Lesions to Cortical Thickness in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury

“…The next step in these analyses will be to explore how thickness relates to outcome 7, 10, 56 . The current investigation demonstrates that there is not a simple relationship between presence of focal lesions and cortical thickness.…”

“…Interestingly, focal lesions may occur at any injury severity level although the size and number of focal lesions typically increase with injury severity 5 . Since the brain is in its most dynamic phase of development from infancy through early adulthood 6 , there has long been speculation that age at the time TBI occurs may moderate brain development post-injury, although only few studies have addressed this topic 7-10 .…”

“Trying to Get a Grip”: Language Competence and Self-Reported Satisfaction With Social Relationships Three Decades Post-Childhood Traumatic Brain Injury

“…31,34 This is of concern, considering that the frontal lobes, which are among the last neural structures to reach full maturation, 35 are crucial contributing sites to adult-level, proficient language processing 34,[36][37][38] and socially competent behavior. [39][40][41] Studies focusing on outcomes in the domain of social skills following childhood TBI have linked frontal lobe injuries to persistent social deficits and overall poor social competence. [39][40][41] A commonly observed pattern in studies examining language outcomes following childhood TBI is that early acquired basic language skills, such as picture naming, are frequently spared from disruption.…”

“…[39][40][41] Studies focusing on outcomes in the domain of social skills following childhood TBI have linked frontal lobe injuries to persistent social deficits and overall poor social competence. [39][40][41] A commonly observed pattern in studies examining language outcomes following childhood TBI is that early acquired basic language skills, such as picture naming, are frequently spared from disruption. 42 In children, TBIs typically disrupt later emerging, complex language skills, such as the interpretation of ambiguous or figurative expressions and inferences, 12,43 as well as the comprehension of humor and sarcasm.…”