Elan J. Grossman1, 2, Jens H. Jensen3, Matilde Inglese4, James S. Babb1, Ali Tabesh3, Els Fieremans1, Ding Xia1, Kelly A. McGorty1, Joseph Reaume1
1Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, United States; 2Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, NYU School of Medicine, New York, United States; 3Department of Radiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; 4Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, United States
Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is difficult to assess because conventional imaging cannot account for damage associated with cognitive impairment in this condition. In this study a longitudinal investigation was conducted of structural and physiological changes in thalamus and white matter (WM) regions of MTBI patients using DKI, which measures non-Gaussian diffusion, and ASL, which measures perfusion, to ascertain if they can predict outcome. Changes were detected by both metrics in thalamus and WM lasting more than one year. Thalamic perfusion was also partly correlated to changes in WM. DKI and ASL might be prognostic markers for persistent post-concussive syndrome.
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