fMRI study of problem-solving after severe traumatic brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the cerebral correlates of the dysexecutive syndrome after diffuse severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).


METHODS
Ten patients with sub-acute/chronic severe TBI without detectable focal cortical contusion and 11 matched healthy subjects were included in a parametric fMRI study using a planning task, the Tower of London.


RESULTS
Brain activation in the left Dorsolateral Pre-frontal Cortex (DLPFC) and the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) was closely related to performance. Patients with TBI who performed the task efficiently showed, like healthy controls who obtained a similar pattern of performance, a large activation in the left DLPFC and a small activation in the ACC. In contrast, poor performance was associated with a reduced activation in these both regions.


CONCLUSIONS
Problem-solving deficits after severe diffuse TBI could be related to an impaired activation of the DLPFC and of the ACC.
Cazalis
Fabienne
F
INSERM U 483, Paris, France. fabfab@ucla.edu
Feydy
Antoine
A
Valabrègue
Romain
R
Pélégrini-Issac
Mélanie
M
Pierot
Laurent
L
Azouvi
Philippe
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D011340:Problem Solving; D011930:Reaction Time