Imaging brain trauma.
OBJECTIVE
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and long-term cognitive and behavioral dysfunction in children and young adults, yet effective treatments are lacking, in part because critical aspects of TBI neurobiology and natural history are not understood. We review recent advances in neuroimaging and discuss how they are helping to address these fundamental gaps.


RESULTS
Novel imaging methods provide detailed information on how TBI affects anatomical integrity (diffusion tensor imaging; voxel-based morphometry; susceptibility-weighted imaging, magnetization transfer imaging), metabolic activity (magnetic resonance spectroscopy), perfusion (positron emission tomography, perfusion computed tomography, perfusion magnetic resonance), and patterns of functional activation (functional magnetic resonance imaging). Individually and collectively, these methods can significantly enhance TBI diagnosis and outcome prediction.


CONCLUSIONS
Refinements in neuroimaging offer a window into the complex neuroanatomical and neurophysiological disturbances induced by TBI. Research is needed to understand how these alterations evolve with time and in response to therapeutic interventions.
Duckworth
Josh L
JL
Department of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Stevens
Robert D
RD
D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed