New research performed at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine has shown through diffusion tensor imaging, or Diffusion MRI, that patients with traumatic brain injury, even mild traumatic brain injury have structural changes in the white matter of their brains that account for cognitive impairments.
Diffusion tensor imaging is a new technology of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that measures the diffusion of water molecules in the brain. It also allows diffusion to be measured in multiple directions so that researchers can map the directions of the fibers and examine the connectivity of different regions in the brain. In particular the researchers used it to examine the connectivity of white matter in the brain and examine the structural changes found in white matter after traumatic brain injury. The researchers especially examined patients who had chronic traumatic brain injury.
The study was lead by Dr. Marilyn Kraus, associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She and her colleagues examined a range of patients with traumatic brain injury including mild and severe. What they found was that even patients who had no loss of consciousness or minimal loss of consciousness had structural changes in their white matter.
The researchers studied 37 traumatic brain injury patients. Twenty patients had mild TBI and 17 had moderate to severe TBI. All of the patients were studied six months after their injury date, and most of the people studied were people who were functioning very well and either working or in school. The researchers also studied 18 healthy people and gave them diffusion tensor imaging screenings. They also tested the healthy volunteers to evaluate their memory, their attention spans, and their executive functions. Executive functions are a set of cognitive functions that control and regulate other abilities and behaviors, particularly goal-oriented actions such as starting, stopping, and changing behavior.
Diffusion tensor imaging is a new technology of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that measures the diffusion of water molecules in the brain. It also allows diffusion to be measured in multiple directions so that researchers can map the directions of the fibers and examine the connectivity of different regions in the brain. In particular the researchers used it to examine the connectivity of white matter in the brain and examine the structural changes found in white matter after traumatic brain injury. The researchers especially examined patients who had chronic traumatic brain injury.
The study was lead by Dr. Marilyn Kraus, associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She and her colleagues examined a range of patients with traumatic brain injury including mild and severe. What they found was that even patients who had no loss of consciousness or minimal loss of consciousness had structural changes in their white matter.
The researchers studied 37 traumatic brain injury patients. Twenty patients had mild TBI and 17 had moderate to severe TBI. All of the patients were studied six months after their injury date, and most of the people studied were people who were functioning very well and either working or in school. The researchers also studied 18 healthy people and gave them diffusion tensor imaging screenings. They also tested the healthy volunteers to evaluate their memory, their attention spans, and their executive functions. Executive functions are a set of cognitive functions that control and regulate other abilities and behaviors, particularly goal-oriented actions such as starting, stopping, and changing behavior.
Comments
Cathy
(Guest)
(Guest)
11/04/2007
Interesting report. I would like to hear more about how brain injuries affect emotions and behaviors.
Insurance Laws Suck in Michigan
(Guest)
(Guest)
10/29/2007
After suffering a TBI in 2005 from a car accident and being told that it was it all in my head(regulat MRI's showed nothing), DTI is what finally showed that I was NOT crazy and that I had mutiple enhanced lesions and signal abnormaties from accident. Bad thing is that I am still fighting the insurance company here in Michigan and have lost my home because of it. Yes, even though after accident I demanded a DTI MRI, my neuroligist at the time refused to let me get one stating that; "Mri's were all the same." If you are going through what I am, please demand a DTI MRI. It could make all the difference in the world.
I think that next they should do study to see how much white matter damage is created in people with chronic migraines and any brain dammage created as a result of toxic chemical poisoning syndrome. I'd be a guinea pig if they pay me $100,000 for it :). Maybe for $80,000, but no less because electromagnetic fields and I don't get along very well.
Compelling article. Thanks for sharing this information.
Sophie
My youngest daughter was hit by a car when she was two years old and had a closed concussion. She stumbled around for a few weeks and lost much of her speech. I always wondered how much damage was really done. Good reporting.
Very good report - many with a neurological injury think they have gone crazy and that nothing is really physically wrong with them when a plain MRI came back clear - but that did not explain mild to moderate injury issues like concentration and recall functions Codie describes that are very real. Gave you 5 stars!
Excellent reporting, thanks for information!
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