Strong link found between concussions and brain tis...(n patients (as shown by large alteration...),Health

Date:8/24/2009

n patients (as shown by large alterations in normal water diffusion using DTI) predicted low scores on their executive-function tests. These damaged areas were located mainly in the brain's prefrontal cortex, which is essential for normal executive function and is susceptible to injury in concussion.

Dr. Lipton notes that use of DTI could prompt doctors to begin treatment early, when it's likely to be most useful. "The problems in functioning caused by concussions often don't become evident until weeks or months after the injury, suggesting that the brain pathology may actually expand over time," he notes. "By detecting brain injury early with DTI and then initiating cognitive rehabilitation therapies for those patients, we may be able to limit the effects of concussions."

"We are really excited by these findings," indicates Craig Branch, Ph.D., a co-author of the study and director of the Gruss MRRC. "For the first time we appear to be able to identify the subtle pathology sometimes caused by concussion, providing researchers a 'pathology target' for the development of therapies to reduce or eliminate the damage identified by this novel imaging method." Dr. Lipton adds that DTI could help in evaluating the effectiveness of existing therapies for concussion.

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Contact: Deirdre Branley sciencenews@aecom.yu.edu 718-430-2923 Albert Einstein College of Medicine Source:Eurekalert

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