Abstract #2073

Myelin-related gray matter abnormalities in pediatric mild traumatic brain injury characterized by T1w/T2w imaging

Zhuonan Wang^1,2, Haonan Zhang², Xuan Li², Jierui Ding², Yizhen Pan², Xiang Zhang², Tingting Wu², Lei Shi^2,3, Zhiqi Li², and Lijun Bai^2,4

¹PET-CT Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China, ²The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China, ³Department of clinical laboratory, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Chinese Traditional Medicine, Shanghai, China, ⁴Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

Synopsis

Keywords: Traumatic Brain Injury, Traumatic brain injury, pediatric; magnetic resonance image; brain development; myelin; structure covariance; graph theoretical analysis

Motivation: Pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can disrupt brain development, particularly myelination, but its effects on gray matter remain unclear.

Goal(s): This study aims to investigate the impact of pediatric mTBI on gray matter myelination and brain connectivity using T1w/T2w MRI.

Approach: We analyzed 127 mTBI patients and 79 healthy controls, examining demyelination patterns and structural network disruptions by age-at-injury. Significant demyelination was observed in the prefrontal and temporal cortices, with spatial migration from the temporal to frontal regions.

Results: Structural covariance network analysis revealed widespread disconnections and hyperconnectivity in the prefrontal cortex, highlighting systemic connectivity disruptions.

Impact: Our study reveals the extensive demyelination and network disruptions in pediatric mTBI patients. Identifying vulnerable regions of myelin development may inform targeted therapeutic interventions and improve long-term outcomes in pediatric mTBI, addressing a critical gap in neurodevelopmental injury research.

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