Abstract #0134

Prasad M, Sankar A, Kramer L, Ewing-Cobbs L, Hasan K

Closed head traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability and morbidity amongst school-age children. Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) caused by shear-strain deformation disrupting the cytoskeletal network and axonal membranes is the primary pathophysiological consequence of TBI. In this preliminary report entire brain DTI was used on 19 healthy pediatric controls and 14 TBI children to assess the effect of trauma on the arcuate fasciculus, which is an important white matter structure involved in language.We demonstrate using the FA and transverse diffusivity that TBI arrests bilaterally the matuarion trend of this lateralized structure.We demonstarte that using the transverse diffusivity and FA that this is attributed to impairement of myelin repair and remyelination mechansisms.