Brain connectivity and postural control in young traumatic brain injury patients: A diffusion MRI based network analysis☆☆

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2012.09.011Get rights and content
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Abstract

Our previous research on traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients has shown a strong relationship between specific white matter (WM) diffusion properties and motor deficits. The potential impact of TBI-related changes in network organization of the associated WM structural network on motor performance, however, remains largely unknown. Here, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based fiber tractography to reconstruct the human brain WM networks of 12 TBI and 17 control participants, followed by a graph theoretical analysis. A force platform was used to measure changes in body posture under conditions of compromised proprioceptive and/or visual feedback. Findings revealed that compared with controls, TBI patients showed higher betweenness centrality and normalized path length, and lower values of local efficiency, implying altered network organization. These results were not merely a consequence of differences in number of connections. In particular, TBI patients displayed reduced structural connectivity in frontal, parieto-premotor, visual, subcortical, and temporal areas. In addition, the decreased connectivity degree was significantly associated with poorer balance performance. We conclude that analyzing the structural brain networks with a graph theoretical approach provides new insights into motor control deficits following brain injury.

Highlights

► We examine the brain connectome in relation to traumatic brain injury (TBI). ► Altered structural connectivity is found in the networks of TBI patients. ► Poor balance performance is associated with decreases in structural connectivity. ► Structural connectivity analysis adds new information to standard DTI analyses.

Keywords

Diffusion tensor imaging
Graph theoretical network analysis
Motor control
Structural network
Traumatic brain injury
Postural control

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Funding: This work was supported by a grant from the Research Programme of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO) (G.0482.010 and G.A114.11) and Grant P6/29 from the Interuniversity Attraction Poles program of the Belgian federal government. Caeyenberghs K. is funded by a postdoctoral fellowship of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO).