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Abstract #4484

Diffusional Kurtosis Imaging of Deep Gray Matter in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Elan J. Grossman1, Yulin Ge1, Jens H. Jensen1, James S. Babb1, Joseph Reaume1, Jonathan A. Silver2, Robert I. Grossman1, Matilde Inglese1

1Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, United States; 2Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, United States


While conventional imaging has been unsuccessful detecting cerebral damage in mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), investigations using DTI report evidence of diffuse axonal injury. The purpose of the current study is to assess whether DKI, which measures non-Gaussian diffusion of water, can provide additional complimentary information about MTBI pathology. In addition to white matter regions we investigated thalamus and basal ganglia in patients with MTBI using DKI and DTI. Differences from controls were observed in thalamus and posterior internal capsule of acute and chronic MTBI patients. This suggests that DKI and DTI might be prognostic markers of persistent post-concussive syndrome.

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