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Yuan W, Dudley J, Slutsky-Ganesh AB, Leach J, Scheifele P, Altaye M, Barber Foss KD, Diekfuss JD, Rhea CK, Myer GD. White Matter Alteration Following SWAT Explosive Breaching Training and the Moderating Effect of a Neck Collar Device: A DTI and NODDI Study. Mil Med 2021; 186:1183-1190. [PMID: 33939823 DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usab168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel who practice breaching with blast exposure are at risk for blast-related head trauma. We aimed to investigate the impact of low-level blast exposure on underlying white matter (WM) microstructure based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation and density imaging (NODDI) in SWAT personnel before and after breacher training. Diffusion tensor imaging is an advanced MRI technique sensitive to underlying WM alterations. NODDI is a novel MRI technique emerged recently that acquires diffusion weighted data from multiple shells modeling for different compartments in the microstructural environment in the brain. We also aimed to evaluate the effect of a jugular vein compression collar device in mitigating the alteration of the diffusion properties in the WM as well as its role as a moderator on the association between the diffusion property changes and the blast exposure. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-one SWAT personnel (10 non-collar and 11 collar) completed the breacher training and underwent MRI at both baseline and after blast exposure. Diffusion weighted data were acquired with two shells (b = 1,000, 2,000 s/mm2) on 3T Phillips scanners. Diffusion tensor imaging metrices, including fractional anisotropy, mean, axial, and radial diffusivity, and NODDI metrics, including neurite density index (NDI), isotropic volume fraction (fiso), and orientation dispersion index, were calculated. Tract-based spatial statistics was used in the voxel-wise statistical analysis. Post hoc analyses were performed for the quantification of the pre- to post-blast exposure diffusion percentage change in the WM regions with significant group difference and for the assessment of the interaction of the relationship between blast exposure and diffusion alteration. RESULTS The non-collar group exhibited significant pre- to post-blast increase in NDI (corrected P < .05) in the WM involving the right internal capsule, the right posterior corona radiation, the right posterior thalamic radiation, and the right sagittal stratum. A subset of these regions showed significantly greater alteration in NDI and fiso in the non-collar group when compared with those in the collar group (corrected P < .05). In addition, collar wearing exhibited a significant moderating effect for the alteration of fiso for its association with average peak pulse pressure. CONCLUSIONS Our data provided initial evidence of the impact of blast exposure on WM diffusion alteration based on both DTI and NODDI. The mitigating effect of WM diffusivity changes and the moderating effect of collar wearing suggest that the device may serve as a promising solution to protect WM against blast exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weihong Yuan
- Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Division of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Jonathan Dudley
- Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Division of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Alexis B Slutsky-Ganesh
- Department of Kinesiology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA
| | - James Leach
- Division of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Pete Scheifele
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati, College of Allied Health Sciences, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA.,Department of Medical Education, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA
| | - Mekibib Altaye
- Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Kim D Barber Foss
- Emory Sports Performance and Research Center, Flowery Branch, GA 30542, USA
| | - Jed D Diekfuss
- Emory Sports Performance and Research Center, Flowery Branch, GA 30542, USA.,Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Christopher K Rhea
- Department of Kinesiology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA
| | - Gregory D Myer
- Emory Sports Performance and Research Center, Flowery Branch, GA 30542, USA.,Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.,Emory Sports Medicine Center, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.,The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
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Li Y, Liu K, Li C, Guo Y, Fang J, Tong H, Tang Y, Zhang J, Sun J, Jiao F, Zhang Q, Jin R, Xiong K, Chen X. 18F-FDG PET Combined With MR Spectroscopy Elucidates the Progressive Metabolic Cerebral Alterations After Blast-Induced Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:593723. [PMID: 33815036 PMCID: PMC8012735 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.593723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A majority of blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients experience persistent neurological dysfunction with no findings on conventional structural MR imaging. It is urgent to develop advanced imaging modalities to detect and understand the pathophysiology of blast-induced mTBI. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) could detect neuronal function and activity of the injured brain, while MR spectroscopy provides complementary information and assesses metabolic irregularities following injury. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of combining 18F-FDG PET with MR spectroscopy to evaluate acute and subacute metabolic cerebral alterations caused by blast-induced mTBI. Thirty-two adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to a single blast (mTBI group) and 32 rats were not exposed to the blast (sham group), followed by 18F-FDG PET, MRI, and histological evaluation at baseline, 1–3 h, 1 day, and 7 days post-injury in three separate cohorts. 18F-FDG uptake showed a transient increase in the amygdala and somatosensory cortex, followed by a gradual return to baseline from day 1 to 7 days post-injury and a continuous rise in the motor cortex. In contrast, decreased 18F-FDG uptake was seen in the midbrain structures (inferior and superior colliculus). Analysis of MR spectroscopy showed that inflammation marker myo-inositol (Ins), oxidative stress marker glutamine + glutamate (Glx), and hypoxia marker lactate (Lac) levels markedly elevated over time in the somatosensory cortex, while the major osmolyte taurine (Tau) level immediately increased at 1–3 h and 1 day, and then returned to sham level on 7 days post-injury, which could be due to the disruption of the blood–brain barrier. Increased 18F-FDG uptake and elevated Ins and Glx levels over time were confirmed by histology analysis which showed increased microglial activation and gliosis in the frontal cortex. These results suggest that 18F-FDG PET and MR spectroscopy can be used together to reflect more comprehensive neuropathological alterations in vivo, which could improve our understanding of the complex alterations in the brain after blast-induced mTBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Department of Radiology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Department of Medical Imaging, Air Force Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, China
| | - Kaijun Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Chang Li
- Department of Radiology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yu Guo
- Department of Radiology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jingqin Fang
- Department of Radiology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Haipeng Tong
- Department of Radiology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yi Tang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Junfeng Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jinju Sun
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Fangyang Jiao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qianhui Zhang
- Department of Foreign Language, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Rongbing Jin
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Clinical Research Center for Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Chongqing, China
| | - Kunlin Xiong
- Department of Radiology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Clinical Research Center for Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Clinical Research Center for Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Chongqing, China
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Müller HP, Roselli F, Rasche V, Kassubek J. Diffusion Tensor Imaging-Based Studies at the Group-Level Applied to Animal Models of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:734. [PMID: 32982659 PMCID: PMC7487414 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The understanding of human and non-human microstructural brain alterations in the course of neurodegenerative diseases has substantially improved by the non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Animal models (including disease or knockout models) allow for a variety of experimental manipulations, which are not applicable to humans. Thus, the DTI approach provides a promising tool for cross-species cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations of the neurobiological targets and mechanisms of neurodegeneration. This overview with a systematic review focuses on the principles of DTI analysis as used in studies at the group level in living preclinical models of neurodegeneration. The translational aspect from in-vivo animal models toward (clinical) applications in humans is covered as well as the DTI-based research of the non-human brains' microstructure, the methodological aspects in data processing and analysis, and data interpretation at different abstraction levels. The aim of integrating DTI in multiparametric or multimodal imaging protocols will allow the interrogation of DTI data in terms of directional flow of information and may identify the microstructural underpinnings of neurodegeneration-related patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Francesco Roselli
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm, Germany
| | - Volker Rasche
- Core Facility Small Animal MRI, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jan Kassubek
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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Eisele A, Hill-Strathy M, Michels L, Rauen K. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Potential to Detect Posttraumatic Neurodegeneration. NEURODEGENER DIS 2020; 20:2-11. [PMID: 32610337 DOI: 10.1159/000508098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most relevant external risk factor for dementia and a major global health burden. Mild TBI (mTBI) contributes to up to 90% of all TBIs, and the classification "mild" often misrepresents the patient's burden who suffer from neuropsychiatric long-term sequelae. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allows in vivo detection of compromised brain metabolism although it is not routinely used after TBI. OBJECTIVE Thus, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to elucidate if MRS has the potential to identify changes in brain metabolism in adult patients after a single mTBI with a negative routine brain scan (CCT and/or MRI scan) compared to aged- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) during the acute or subacute postinjury phase (≤90 days after mTBI). METHODS A comprehensive literature search was conducted from the first edition of electronic databases until January 31, 2020. Group analyses were performed per metabolite using a random-effects model. RESULTS Four and 2 out of 5,417 articles met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis and systematic review, respectively. For the meta-analysis, 50 mTBI patients and 51 HC with a mean age of 31 and 30 years, respectively, were scanned using N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), a marker for neuronal integrity. Glutamate (Glu), a marker for disturbed brain metabolism, choline (Cho), a marker for increased cell membrane turnover, and creatine (Cr) were used in 2 out of the 4 included articles. Regions of interests were the frontal lobe, the white matter around 1 cm above the lateral ventricles, or the whole brain. NAA was decreased in patients compared to HC with an effect size (ES) of -0.49 (95% CI -1.08 to 0.09), primarily measured in the frontal lobe. Glu was increased in the white matter in 22 mTBI patients compared to 22 HC (ES 0.79; 95% CI 0.17-1.41). Cho was decreased in 31 mTBI patients compared to 31 HC (ES -0.31; 95% CI -0.81 to 0.19). Cr was contradictory and, therefore, potentially not suitable as a reference marker after mTBI. CONCLUSIONS MRS pinpoints changes in posttraumatic brain metabolism that correlate with cognitive dysfunction and, thus, might possibly help to detect mTBI patients at risk for unfavorable outcome or posttraumatic neurodegeneration early.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Eisele
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, Psychiatric Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - MaryJane Hill-Strathy
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, Psychiatric Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Lars Michels
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin Rauen
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, Psychiatric Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, .,Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland,
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Agoston DV. Modeling the Long-Term Consequences of Repeated Blast-Induced Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries. J Neurotrauma 2018; 34:S44-S52. [PMID: 28937952 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2017.5317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI) caused by playing collision sports or by exposure to blasts during military operations can lead to late onset, chronic diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive neurodegenerative condition that manifests in increasingly severe neuropsychiatric abnormalities years after the last injury. Currently, because of the heterogeneity of the clinical presentation, confirmation of a CTE diagnosis requires post-mortem examination of the brain. The hallmarks of CTE are abnormal accumulation of phosphorylated tau protein, TDP-43 immunoreactive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions, and astroglial abnormalities, but the pathomechanism leading to these terminal findings remains unknown. Animal modeling can play an important role in the identification of CTE pathomechanisms, the development of early stage diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and pharmacological interventions. Modeling the long-term consequences of blast rmTBI in animals is especially challenging because of the complexities of blast physics and animal-to-human scaling issues. This review summarizes current knowledge about the pathobiologies of CTE and rmbTBI and discusses problems as well as potential solutions related to high-fidelity modeling of rmbTBI and determining its long-term consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denes V Agoston
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, Uniformed Services University , Bethesda, Maryland; Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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