fMRI Study Reveals Older Patients Take Longer to Recover from Concussion
By MedImaging International staff writers Posted on 20 Oct 2015 |
A new study has shown that younger patients had hyperactivation in the precuneus and right inferior parietal gyrus of the brain during working memory tasks, while older patients had hypoactivation.
The results of the study were published online in the journal Radiology. The researchers used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to evaluate how the age of a patient affected the performance of working memory performance, and functional activation in the brain, following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI).
The study included 13 patients aged 21–30 years, and 13 patients aged 51-68 years. All patients had been diagnosed with MTBI, and the researchers included 26 age- and gender-matched controls. The researchers performed the first fMRI scan one month or less after injury, and a follow-up scan six weeks after that. The researchers analyzed symptoms, working memory activity, and neuropsychological test results in all patients.
Concussion or Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) accounts for 75% of TBI cases, and often results in difficulties with working memory. In most of these patients Computed Tomography (CT), and conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) do not reveal abnormal findings.
The results of the initial and follow-up study showed that young patients had a significantly lower post-concussion symptom score, at follow-up, compared to the initial exam, whereas no significant difference in the score was found in older patients, who also showed persistent hypo-activation. The results show that separate management strategies need to be developed for concussion injuries in different age groups.
Coauthor of the study, Ying-Chi Tseng, MD, Department of Radiology, Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University (New Taipei City, Taiwan), said, “Taken together, these findings provide evidence for differential neural plasticity across different ages, with potential prognostic and therapeutic implications. The results suggest that MTBI might cause a more profound and lasting effect in older patients.”
Related Links:
Shuang-Ho Hospital
The results of the study were published online in the journal Radiology. The researchers used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to evaluate how the age of a patient affected the performance of working memory performance, and functional activation in the brain, following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI).
The study included 13 patients aged 21–30 years, and 13 patients aged 51-68 years. All patients had been diagnosed with MTBI, and the researchers included 26 age- and gender-matched controls. The researchers performed the first fMRI scan one month or less after injury, and a follow-up scan six weeks after that. The researchers analyzed symptoms, working memory activity, and neuropsychological test results in all patients.
Concussion or Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) accounts for 75% of TBI cases, and often results in difficulties with working memory. In most of these patients Computed Tomography (CT), and conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) do not reveal abnormal findings.
The results of the initial and follow-up study showed that young patients had a significantly lower post-concussion symptom score, at follow-up, compared to the initial exam, whereas no significant difference in the score was found in older patients, who also showed persistent hypo-activation. The results show that separate management strategies need to be developed for concussion injuries in different age groups.
Coauthor of the study, Ying-Chi Tseng, MD, Department of Radiology, Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University (New Taipei City, Taiwan), said, “Taken together, these findings provide evidence for differential neural plasticity across different ages, with potential prognostic and therapeutic implications. The results suggest that MTBI might cause a more profound and lasting effect in older patients.”
Related Links:
Shuang-Ho Hospital
Latest MRI News
- AI Model Outperforms Doctors at Identifying Patients Most At-Risk of Cardiac Arrest
- New MRI Technique Reveals Hidden Heart Issues
- Shorter MRI Exam Effectively Detects Cancer in Dense Breasts
- MRI to Replace Painful Spinal Tap for Faster MS Diagnosis
- MRI Scans Can Identify Cardiovascular Disease Ten Years in Advance
- Simple Brain Scan Diagnoses Parkinson's Disease Years Before It Becomes Untreatable
- Cutting-Edge MRI Technology to Revolutionize Diagnosis of Common Heart Problem
- New MRI Technique Reveals True Heart Age to Prevent Attacks and Strokes
- AI Tool Predicts Relapse of Pediatric Brain Cancer from Brain MRI Scans
- AI Tool Tracks Effectiveness of Multiple Sclerosis Treatments Using Brain MRI Scans
- Ultra-Powerful MRI Scans Enable Life-Changing Surgery in Treatment-Resistant Epileptic Patients
- AI-Powered MRI Technology Improves Parkinson’s Diagnoses
- Biparametric MRI Combined with AI Enhances Detection of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer
- First-Of-Its-Kind AI-Driven Brain Imaging Platform to Better Guide Stroke Treatment Options
- New Model Improves Comparison of MRIs Taken at Different Institutions
- Groundbreaking New Scanner Sees 'Previously Undetectable' Cancer Spread
Channels
Radiography
view channel
AI Helps Radiologists Spot More Lesions in Mammograms
Breast cancer is a critical health issue, and accurate detection through mammography is essential for effective treatment. However, interpreting mammograms can be challenging for radiologists, particularly... Read more
AI Detects Fatty Liver Disease from Chest X-Rays
Fatty liver disease, which results from excess fat accumulation in the liver, is believed to impact approximately one in four individuals globally. If not addressed in time, it can progress to severe conditions... Read moreUltrasound
view channel
Wireless Chronic Pain Management Device to Reduce Need for Painkillers and Surgery
Chronic pain affects millions of people globally, often leading to long-term disability and dependence on opioid medications, which carry significant risks of side effects and addiction.... Read more
New Medical Ultrasound Imaging Technique Enables ICU Bedside Monitoring
Ultrasound computed tomography (USCT) presents a safer alternative to imaging techniques like X-ray computed tomography (commonly known as CT or “CAT” scans) because it does not produce ionizing radiation.... Read moreNuclear Medicine
view channel
Novel Bacteria-Specific PET Imaging Approach Detects Hard-To-Diagnose Lung Infections
Mycobacteroides abscessus is a rapidly growing mycobacteria that primarily affects immunocompromised patients and those with underlying lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary... Read more
New Imaging Approach Could Reduce Need for Biopsies to Monitor Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among men in the United States. However, the majority of older men diagnosed with prostate cancer have slow-growing, low-risk forms of... Read moreGeneral/Advanced Imaging
view channel
CT Colonography Beats Stool DNA Testing for Colon Cancer Screening
As colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, early detection through screening is vital to reduce advanced-stage treatments and associated costs.... Read more
First-Of-Its-Kind Wearable Device Offers Revolutionary Alternative to CT Scans
Currently, patients with conditions such as heart failure, pneumonia, or respiratory distress often require multiple imaging procedures that are intermittent, disruptive, and involve high levels of radiation.... Read more
AI-Based CT Scan Analysis Predicts Early-Stage Kidney Damage Due to Cancer Treatments
Radioligand therapy, a form of targeted nuclear medicine, has recently gained attention for its potential in treating specific types of tumors. However, one of the potential side effects of this therapy... Read moreImaging IT
view channel
New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible
Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more
Global AI in Medical Diagnostics Market to Be Driven by Demand for Image Recognition in Radiology
The global artificial intelligence (AI) in medical diagnostics market is expanding with early disease detection being one of its key applications and image recognition becoming a compelling consumer proposition... Read moreIndustry News
view channel
GE HealthCare and NVIDIA Collaboration to Reimagine Diagnostic Imaging
GE HealthCare (Chicago, IL, USA) has entered into a collaboration with NVIDIA (Santa Clara, CA, USA), expanding the existing relationship between the two companies to focus on pioneering innovation in... Read more
Patient-Specific 3D-Printed Phantoms Transform CT Imaging
New research has highlighted how anatomically precise, patient-specific 3D-printed phantoms are proving to be scalable, cost-effective, and efficient tools in the development of new CT scan algorithms... Read more
Siemens and Sectra Collaborate on Enhancing Radiology Workflows
Siemens Healthineers (Forchheim, Germany) and Sectra (Linköping, Sweden) have entered into a collaboration aimed at enhancing radiologists' diagnostic capabilities and, in turn, improving patient care... Read more