UC San Diego Researchers Have Discovered More Reliable Ways to Detect Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) through New Imaging Techniques
Advanced imaging methods with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other methods may be able to detect mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) with better accuracy than today's standard imaging techniques.
MRI and CT neuroimaging, currently used today, focus on the detection of bleeding in the brain, which is only indirectly related to axonal brain injury. These imaging methods fail to detect approximately 70 to 80% of mild to moderate tonight brain injuries (TBI), according to doctors at the University of California at San Diego.
New studies reveal that the combination of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) can reveal axonal injury resulting from tissue shearing and stretching, which is a leading cause of persistent post concussive symptoms in MTBI patients.
MEG is useful to pinpoint the temporal and spatial activation of neurons in the brain by the tiny magnetic fields created by neuronal currents in brain gray matter. DTI is useful to measure the pattern and direction of the movement of water molecules through white brain matter, which becomes disturbed after a TBI.
Detecting MTBI is important because 15% of victims have lingering cognitive and behavioral problems, and have a higher risk of developing such conditions as epilepsy, severe depression, and dementia.
In a study of 18 civilian and military patients with closed head injuries and mild to moderate symptoms of TBI, along with 17 healthy control patients, revealed a brain injury was associated with significantly decreased levels of a certain marker of neuronal and axonal viability, known as n-acetylaspartate, as well as increased levels of choline. The ratio between these two elements was the most sensitive marker for brain injury.
90% of the patients had small and well localized lesions on normal MRI, findings that are typical for MTBI. However using advanced MRI techniques, the researchers found widespread metabolite alterations throughout the cerebrum.
The San Diego car accident lawyers at the Jurewitz Law Group provide important strategies and news affecting San Diego auto accident injury victims. Follow our Facebook updates for more information. For free information and for help with your car accident claim, contact our San Diego personal injury law office at 888-233-5020 for a free consultation.
