title: Assessing the Relationship between Neurocognitive Performance and Brain Volume in Chronic Moderate-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Characterize the scale and pattern of long-term atrophy in gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in chronic moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its relationship to neurocognitive outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The TBI group consisted of 17 males with primary diagnosis of moderate-severe closed head injury. Participants had not received any systematic, post-acute rehabilitation and were recruited on average 8.36 years post-injury. The control group consisted of 15 males matched on age and education.
  
  
  METHODS
  Neurocognitive battery included widely used tests of verbal memory, visual memory, executive functioning, and attention/organization. GM, WM, and CSF volumes were calculated from segmented T1-weighted anatomical MR images. Voxel-based morphometry was employed to identify brain regions with differences in GM and WM between TBI and control groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chronic TBI results in significant neurocognitive impairments, and significant loss of GM and WM volume, and significant increase in CSF volume. Brain atrophy is not widespread, but it is rather distributed in a fronto-thalamic network. The extent of volume loss is predictive of performance on the neurocognitive tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant brain atrophy and associated neurocognitive impairments during the chronic stages of TBI support the notion that TBI results in a chronic condition with lifelong implications.
authors.affiliation: Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus; Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: Nikos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Konstantinou
authors.affiliation: Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus; Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pettemeridou
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace , Alexandroupolis , Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Seimenis
authors.affiliation: Medical Diagnostic Center "Ayios Therissos" , Nicosia , Cyprus.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eracleous
authors.affiliation: Neurology Clinic B, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine , Nicosia , Cyprus.
authors.forename: Savvas S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Papacostas
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Le Bonheur Neuroscience Institute, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA; Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The Le Bonheur Neuroscience Institute, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Papanicolaou
authors.affiliation: Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus; Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: Fofi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Constantinidou
keywords: TBI; VBM; brain atrophy; grey matter; neurocognitive/neuropsychological assessment; white matter