title: Orbitofrontal cortical thinning and aggression in mild traumatic brain injury patients.
abstract: Although mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) comprises 80% of all TBI, the morphological examination of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in relation to clinical symptoms such as aggression, anxiety and depression in a strictly mTBI sample has never before been performed.
  
  
  
  The primary objective of the study was to determine if mTBI patients would show morphological differences in the OFC and if the morphology of this region would relate to clinical symptoms.
  
  
  
  Using structural images acquired in a 3T MRI machine, the cortical thickness and cortical volume (corrected for total brain volume) of the OFC was collected for healthy control (N= 27) subjects and chronic mTBI (N= 55) patients at least one year post injury. Also, during clinical interviews, measures quantifying the severity of clinical symptoms, including aggression, anxiety, and depression, were collected.
  
  
  
  MTBI subjects displayed increased aggression, anxiety, and depression, and anxiety and depression measures showed a relationship with the number of mTBI in which the subject lost consciousness. The cortical thickness of the right lateral OFC displayed evidence of thinning in the mTBI group; however, after correction for multiple comparisons, this difference was no longer significant. Clinical measures were not significantly related with OFC morphometry.
  
  
  
  This study found increased aggression, anxiety, and depression, in the mTBI group as well as evidence of cortical thinning in the right lateral OFC. The association between clinical symptoms and the number of mTBI with loss of consciousness suggests the number and severity of mTBI may influence clinical symptoms long after injury. Future studies examining other brain regions involved in the production and regulation of affective processes and inclusion of subjects with well-characterized mood disorders could further elucidate the relationship between mTBI, brain morphology, and clinical symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience University of Utah Salt Lake City UT USA; Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory Salt Lake City UT USA; Salt Lake City Rocky Mountain MIRECC Salt Lake City UT USA.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory Salt Lake City UT USA; Salt Lake City Rocky Mountain MIRECC Salt Lake City UT USA.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Legarreta
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory Salt Lake City UT USA; Salt Lake City Rocky Mountain MIRECC Salt Lake City UT USA.
authors.forename: Elliot
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bueler
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience University of Utah Salt Lake City UT USA; Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory Salt Lake City UT USA.
authors.forename: Jace
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory Salt Lake City UT USA; Salt Lake City Rocky Mountain MIRECC Salt Lake City UT USA; Department of Psychiatry University of Utah Salt Lake City UT USA.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McGlade
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience University of Utah Salt Lake City UT USA; Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory Salt Lake City UT USA; Salt Lake City Rocky Mountain MIRECC Salt Lake City UT USA; Department of Psychiatry University of Utah Salt Lake City UT USA.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yurgelun-Todd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: aggression; mild traumatic brain injury; morphometry; orbitofrontal cortex