Neurology and Neuro Surgery

Historically, routine types of neurological imaging for mTBI include CT and Conventional MRI, both of which are usually normal

in mild TBI (mTBI). Newer MRI methods may demonstrate more abnormalities following mTBI than just CT or Conventional

MRI alone (Brody et al 2015). These include, but are not limited to, SWI, DTI, rs-fMRI, ASL and Volumetry. Susceptibility Weighted

Imaging (SWI) uses contrast to highlight differences between tissues that can show changes in blood products in the brain. Diffusion

Tensor Imaging (DTI) can detect brain abnormalities in white matter through its sensitivity to microstructural axonal injury. Resting

State Functional MRI (rs-fMRI) measures changes in blood perfusion to determine if pathways of communication within the brain

have been disrupted. ASL (arterial spin labelling) uses spatially selective inversion of inflowing arterial blood as a method to label

blood flow and measure perfusion. Lastly, volumetric MRI measures the volume and structure of regions in the brain and can detect

changes in the volume of gray matter that may result from mTBI.

These specific types of imaging can be incorporated into research in order to learn more about concussions, their diagnosis, and

their prognosis. This is the case for the GE-NFL Study on Advanced MRI Applications for mild TBI. By utilizing a research pack for

neurological imaging that includes SWI, DTI, Volumetric T1, ASL, and rs-fMRI, researchers have been able to detect abnormalities,

including white matter lesions, in the brains of several patients who have suffered from mTBI. Overall, neuroimaging is evolving such

that white matter abnormalities, changes in gray matter volume, and blood perfusion in the brains of mTBI patients may be visualized.

However, these scans cannot be used conclusively and these techniques are limited to research tools at this time. Therefore, continued

study is necessary to further validate these software techniques