title: Longitudinal volumetric changes following traumatic brain injury: a tensor-based morphometry study.
abstract: After traumatic injury, the brain undergoes a prolonged period of degenerative change that is paradoxically accompanied by cognitive recovery. The spatiotemporal pattern of atrophy and the specific relationships of atrophy to cognitive changes are ill understood. The present study used tensor-based morphometry and neuropsychological testing to examine brain volume loss in 17 traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients and 13 controls over a 4-year period. Patients were scanned at 2 months, 1 year, and 4 years post-injury. High-dimensional warping procedures were used to create change maps of each subject's brain for each of the two intervals. TBI patients experienced volume loss in both cortical areas and white matter regions during the first interval. We also observed continuing volume loss in extensive regions of white matter during the second interval. Neuropsychological correlations indicated that cognitive tasks were associated with subsequent volume loss in task-relevant regions. The extensive volume loss in brain white matter observed well beyond the first year post-injury suggests that the injured brain remains malleable for an extended period, and the neuropsychological relationships suggest that this volume loss may be associated with subtle cognitive improvements.
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, William S Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin 53792, USA. kim.farbota@gmail.com
authors.forename: Kimberly D M
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Farbota
authors.forename: Aparna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sodhi
authors.forename: Barbara B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Bendlin
authors.forename: Donald G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: McLaren
authors.forename: Guofan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Howard A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Rowley
authors.forename: Sterling C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult