Award Date

12-1-2020

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences

First Committee Member

Steen Madsen

Second Committee Member

Travis H. Snyer

Third Committee Member

Francis Cucinotta

Fourth Committee Member

Janice Pluth

Fifth Committee Member

Graham McGinnis

Number of Pages

63

Abstract

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a global health challenge, with over 4.6 million confirmed cases annually in North America alone. Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) are the most common and make up approximately 81% of all TBI diagnoses worldwide [1]. Studies indicate that 10–15% of patients suffer from trauma induced symptoms (i.e. headache, loss of balance, cognitive impairments, fatigue, and mental health/affective disorders) as far as 1 year post injury [2]. Prediction and management of these post-traumatic sequalae is complicated by a lack of symptom associated neuroimaging findings. In spite of a “prominent distribution” of frontotemporal WMHs in pediatric subjects with mTBI, a 2016 study (N=72) by Bigler et al. found no association between unique changes in cortical thickness and WMHs after statistical correction for multiple comparisons. This retrospective study will investigate the associations between cortical thinning, white matter hyperintensities, and clinical outcomes in a large (N=147) and neurodevelopmentally diverse (18-40 years-old) group of subjects diagnosed with mTBI. Regional (Frontal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, Occipital Lobe, Parietal Lobe, and Cerebellum) volumetric and WMH data was obtained for all 147 patients. Assessment of image finding correlation showed that white matter hyperintensities did not consistently coincide with cortical thinning as defined by the NeuroQuant normative percentile values. Interval-censored analysis revealed statistically significant associations between positive WM status and longevity of post-concussive cognitive deficits (p<0.024).

Keywords

Clinical Outcomes; Concussion; Cortical thinning; DAI; mTBI; White matter hyperintensities

Disciplines

Medical Neurobiology | Neuroscience and Neurobiology | Neurosciences

File Format

pdf

File Size

976 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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