Cerebral Blood Flow and Its Connectivity Deficits in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury at the Acute Stage

Abstract

<jats:p><jats:italic>Objective</jats:italic>. The influence of cognitive impairment after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) on cerebral vascular perfusion has been widely concerned, yet the resting-state cerebral blood flow (CBF) connectivity alterations based on arterial spin labeling (ASL) in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) remain unclear. This study investigated region CBF and CBF connectivity features in acute mTBI patients, as well as the associations between CBF changes and cognitive impairment. <jats:italic>Materials and Methods</jats:italic>. Forty-five acute mTBI patients and 42 health controls underwent pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The alterations in regional CBF and relationship between the CBF changes and cognitive impairment were detected. The ASL-CBF connectivity of the brain regions with regional CBF significant differences was also compared between two groups. Neuropsychological tests covered seven cognitive domains. Associations between the CBF changes and cognitive impairment were further investigated. <jats:italic>Results</jats:italic>. Compared with the healthy controls, the acute mTBI patients exhibited increased CBF in the bilateral inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) and decreased CBF in the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG), the bilateral superior frontal gyrus (SFG), and the right cerebellum posterior lobe (CPL). In the mTBI patients, significant correlations were identified between the CBF changes and cognitive impairment. Importantly, the acute mTBI patients exhibited CBF disconnections between the right CPL and right fusiform gyrus (FG) as well as bilateral ITG, between the left SFG and left middle occipital gyrus (MOG), and between the right SFG and right FG as well as right parahippocampal gyrus. <jats:italic>Conclusion</jats:italic>. Our results suggest that acute mTBI patients exhibit both regional CBF abnormalities and CBF connectivity deficits, which may underlie the cognitive impairment of the acute mTBI patients.</jats:p>

Assessment of normalized cerebral blood flow and its connectivity with migraines without aura during interictal periods by arterial spin labeling

“…The ASL image data were analyzed by the Statistical parameter mapping software (SPM8) ( https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm/software/spm8/ ) and the ASL data processing toolbox ASLtbx ( https://cfn.upenn.edu/~zewan ). The detailed procedures for the calculation of CBF maps were as described in our previous study [ 29 , 30 ]. Briefly, according to the motion parameters provided by SPM, participants with a translation greater than 2 mm and a rotation greater than 2° were excluded from the analysis.…”

“…Characterizing CBF concurrent changes across subjects between pairs of brain regions by computing the correlation coefficient is able to provide a CBF connectivity measure among these brain regions. Considering previously used research methods, clusters with significant differences in CBF between groups were selected as regions of interest to detect whether different brain regions featured any abnormal CBF connections that corresponded to changes in CBF [29][30][31]. The CBF value of each ROI was extracted from the normalized CBF map obtained for each patient.…”

Cerebral Blood Flow and its Connectivity Deficits in Patients With Lung Cancer After Chemotherapy

“…CBF connectivity is a meaningful method to evaluate the functional networks within brain regions ( Li et al, 2020 ). The CBF connectivity can be obtained by calculating the CBF correlation coefficient between a group of brain regions.…”

Assessment of Modified Cerebral Blood Flow and Its Connectivity With Migraines Without Aura During Interictal Periods by Arterial Spin Labeling

“…l.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm/software/spm8/) and the ASL data processing toolbox ASLtbx (https://cfn.upenn.edu/~zewan). The detailed procedures for the calculation of CBF maps were as described in our previous study [29]. Brie y, according to the motion parameters provided by SPM, participants with a translation greater than 2 mm and a rotation greater than 2° were excluded from the analysis.…”