title: Microstructural changes in the thalamus after mild traumatic brain injury: A longitudinal diffusion and mean kurtosis tensor MRI study.
abstract: The primary aim of this study was to assess microstructural changes in the thalamus, hippocampus and corpus callosum with a fast mean kurtosis tensor (MKT) technique, in the acute and sub-acute phase after mTBI. It was hypothesized that MKT would differ between baseline and follow-up in patients. The secondary aim was to relate diffusion measures to symptoms of mTBI.
  
  
  
  A longitudinal case-control study.
  
  
  
  Twenty-seven patients with mTBI and 27 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Patients were scanned within 2 weeks and 3 months after mTBI, while the controls were scanned once.
  
  
  
  MKT decreased significantly (p = 0.02) from baseline to follow-up in the thalamus in patients. Compared to healthy subjects, thalamic MKT values were significantly larger in patients at baseline (p = 0.048). Secondary analysis revealed a significant decrease (p = 0.01) in fractional anisotropy in the splenium of corpus callosum from baseline to follow-up.
  
  
  
  The current study indicates microstructural changes in the thalamus and corpus callosum from within 14 days to 3 months after mTBI and suggests MKT as a potential biomarker after mTBI.
authors.affiliation: a Hammel Neurorehabilitation Centre and University Research Clinic , Aarhus , Denmark.|b Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Institute of Clinical Medicine , Aarhus , Denmark.
authors.forename: Erhard Trillingsgaard
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Næss-Schmidt
authors.affiliation: a Hammel Neurorehabilitation Centre and University Research Clinic , Aarhus , Denmark.|b Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Institute of Clinical Medicine , Aarhus , Denmark.
authors.forename: Jakob Udby
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Blicher
authors.affiliation: b Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Institute of Clinical Medicine , Aarhus , Denmark.
authors.forename: Simon Fristed
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Eskildsen
authors.affiliation: b Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Institute of Clinical Medicine , Aarhus , Denmark.|c Department of Neuroradiology , Aarhus University Hospital , Aarhus , Denmark.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tietze
authors.affiliation: b Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Institute of Clinical Medicine , Aarhus , Denmark.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: a Hammel Neurorehabilitation Centre and University Research Clinic , Aarhus , Denmark.|d Neuroscience Research Australia , Randwick , New South Wales , Australia.
authors.forename: Peter William
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Stubbs
authors.affiliation: b Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Institute of Clinical Medicine , Aarhus , Denmark.
authors.forename: Sune
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jespersen
authors.affiliation: b Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Institute of Clinical Medicine , Aarhus , Denmark.|c Department of Neuroradiology , Aarhus University Hospital , Aarhus , Denmark.
authors.forename: Leif
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Østergaard
authors.affiliation: a Hammel Neurorehabilitation Centre and University Research Clinic , Aarhus , Denmark.
authors.forename: Jørgen Feldbæk
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D013788:Thalamus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: concussion; diffusion MRI; mTBI; mean kurtosis tensor