Relating brain connectivity with persistent symptoms in pediatric concussion

Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2019 Mar 22;6(5):954-961. doi: 10.1002/acn3.764. eCollection 2019 May.

Abstract

Persistent post-concussion symptoms (PCS) in children following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are a growing public health concern. There is a pressing need to understand the neural underpinning of PCS. Here, we examined whole-brain functional connectivity from resting-state fMRI with behavioral assessments in a cohort of 110 children with mTBI. Children with mTBI and controls had similar levels of connectivity. PCS symptoms and behaviors including poor cognition and sleep were associated with connectivity within functional brain networks. The identification of a single "positive-negative" dimension linking connectivity with behaviors enables better prognosis and stratification toward personalized therapeutic interventions.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Brain / physiopathology*
  • Brain Injuries, Traumatic / complications
  • Brain Injuries, Traumatic / diagnostic imaging
  • Child
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Nerve Net / physiopathology*
  • Post-Concussion Syndrome / diagnosis*
  • Post-Concussion Syndrome / diagnostic imaging
  • Post-Concussion Syndrome / etiology

Grants and funding

This work was funded by National Health and Medical Research Council grants 1099082 and 1138711; Brain Foundation grant ; Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant 293375.