Memory and anatomical change in severe non missile traumatic brain injury: â¼1 vs. â¼8 years follow-up.
Brain Res Bull
; 87(4-5): 373-82, 2012 Mar 10.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-22289841
ABSTRACT
In previous studies, we investigated a group of subjects who had suffered from a severe non missile traumatic brain injury (nmTBI) without macroscopic focal lesions and we found brain atrophy involving the hippocampus, fornix, corpus callosum, optic chiasm, and optic radiations. Memory test scores correlated mainly with fornix volumes [37,38]. In the present study, we re-examined 11 of these nmTBI subjects approximately 8 yr later. High-spatial resolution T1 weighted magnetic resonance images of the brain (1mm(3)) and standardised memory tests were performed once more in order to compare brain morphology and memory performance originally assessed 3-13 months after head injury (first study) and after 8-10 yr (present study). An overall improvement of memory test performance was demonstrated in the latest assessment, indicating that cognitive recovery in severe nmTBI subjects had not been completed within 3-13 months post-injury. It is notable that the volumes of the fornix and the hippocampus were reduced significantly from normal controls, but these volumes do not differ appreciatively between nmTBI subjects at first (after â¼1 yr) and at second (after â¼8 yr) scans. On the contrary, a clear reduction in the volume of the corpus callosus can be observed after â¼1 yr and a further significant reduction is evident after â¼8 yr, indicating that the neural degeneration in severe nmTBI continues long after the head trauma and relates to specific structures and not to the overall brain.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Brain
/
Brain Injuries
/
Memory Disorders
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Brain Res Bull
Year:
2012
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Italy