Neuro-Imaging Offers Potential for Determining the Underlying Pathology of Concussions

Three-dimensional (3D) Magnetic Resonance (MRI) Diffusion-Tensor Images (DTI) of the brain are changing neurosurgical care of patients with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), Mild TBI, or brain tumors, and could also be used for printing 3D functional models of the brain.

Two recent studies have found that MRI-DTI can be used to find the underlying pathology of concussion injuries, and provide prognoses for TBI and MTBI patients to help those most at risk for persistent, long-term problems. One of the studies found that women have a higher risk of negative long-term effects of head injuries than men. The researchers also found evidence of microstructural damage to white matter in the brains of women with concussion injuries and a worse cognitive performance than in men with similar injuries. The researchers also found that MRI-DTI can play a significant role in pre-operative mapping of the brain of brain tumor patients, and change their neurosurgical care.

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center (New York, NY, USA) and at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI, USA) carried out the studies.

John. L. Ulmer, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, said, “The mapping depicts individual white matter tracts, which aid surgeons in safely resecting and removing brain tumors. Using standard imaging alone is insufficient in determining the relationship of the brain tumor to any of the given white matter networks around it. Because white matter is difficult to identify anatomically during surgery surgeons often cannot tell which white matter tract controls critical functional areas such as motor skills, language, vision and memory. DTI creates a color-coded image of the brain that establishes functional network resection boundaries around the tumor. Preoperative DTI helps the surgeon avoid injuring eloquent brain networks when taking tumors out. A next step in preoperative neurosurgery is adapting 3D functional brain printing to provide neurosurgeons with a 3D perspective of the critical functional white matter network relationships as well as an educational tool during consultations with brain tumor patients.

Related Links:
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin