Metabolic Alterations in Corpus Callosum May Compromise Brain Functional Connectivity in MTBI Patients: An 1H-MRS Study

Brian Johnson¹, Semyon Slobounov¹, Wayne Sebastianelli¹, Thomas Neuberger¹

After clinical resolution of signs and symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) it is still not clear if there are residual structural or functional abnormalities of brain networks. 15 normal volunteers (NV) and 15 subacute mTBI subjects underwent 1H-MRS in the subacute phase of injury. We report that both in the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr ratios were significantly lower in mTBI subjects compared to NVs. This novel finding supports our hypothesis that the functional disruption of interhemispheric brain networks in mTBI subjects may result from compromised metabolic integrity of the corpus callosum.