Morphometric changes in the cortex following acute mild traumatic brain injury

Morphometric changes in cortical thickness(CT),cortical surface area(CSA),and cortical volume(CV) can reflect pathological changes after acute mild traumatic brain injury(m TBI).Most previous studies focused on changes in CT,CSA,and CV in subacute or chronic m TBI,and few studies have examined changes in CT,CSA,and CV in acute m TBI.Furthermore,acute m TBI patients typically show transient cognitive impairment,and few studies have reported on the relationship between cerebral morphological changes and cognitive function in patients with m TBI.This prospective cohort study included 30 patients with acute m TBI(15 males,15 females,mean age 33.7 years) and 27 matched healthy controls(12 males,15 females,mean age 37.7 years) who were recruited from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between September and December 2019.High-resolution T1-weighted images were acquired within 7 days after the onset of m TBI.The results of analyses using Free Surfer software revealed significantly increased CSA and CV in the right lateral occipital gyrus of acutestage m TBI patients compared with healthy controls,but no significant changes in CT.The acute-stage m TBI patients also showed reduced executive function and processing speed indicated by a lower score in the Digital Symbol Substitution Test,and reduced cognitive ability indicated by a longer time to complete the Trail Making Test-B.Both increased CSA and CV in the right lateral occipital gyrus were negatively correlated with performance in the Trail Making Test part A.These findings suggest that cognitive deficits and cortical alterations in CSA and CV can be detected in the acute stage of m TBI,and that increased CSA and CV in the right lateral occipital gyrus may be a compensatory mechanism for cognitive dysfunction in acute-stage m TBI patients.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University,China(approval No.086) on February 9,2019.

The occurrence of diffuse axonal injury in the brain:associated with the accumulation and clearance of myelin debris

The accumulation of myelin debris may be a major contributor to the inlfammatory response after diffuse axonal injury. In this study, we examined the accumulation and clearance of myelin debris in a rat model of diffuse axonal injury. Oil Red O staining was performed on sections from the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and brain stem to identify the myelin debris. Seven days after diffuse axonal injury, many Oil Red O-stained particles were observed in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and brain stem. In the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, the amount of myelin debris peaked at 14 days after injury, and decreased signiifcantly at 28 days. In the brain stem, the amount of myelin debris peaked at 7 days after injury, and decreased signiifcantly at 14 and 28 days. In the cortex and hippocampus, some myelin debris could still be observed at 28 days after diffuse axonal injury. Our ifndings suggest that myelin debris may persist in the rat central ner-vous system after diffuse axonal injury, which would hinder recovery.

Unusual Brain Trauma Injury

Unusual head trauma is rare with various mechanisms of occurrence. The injuries can be similar to those of road accidents but sometimes with significant complexities. The objective was to determine the frequency of this pathology in our practice, describe the different mechanisms and report the craniocerebral lesions caused by this type of trauma. Materials and Method: This was a descriptive study with retrospective collection spread over a period of 3 years. After selecting the files, the patients and/or their companions were contacted by telephone to inquire about them and then returned to the consultation for reassessment. Disease history and information were obtained from patients’ medical records. Result: The frequency of this pathology was 1.78% and his incidence was 0.4 cases per month. The average age of the patients was 13.47 years. All the victims were male. 41.17% of patients were in school. The mechanisms of trauma were the hoof blow 47.1%, the horn blow 29.4% and the stone blow 11.7% respectively. 23.5% of patients were confused and 11.7% children were in coma. One patient presented an anisocoria. The motor deficit was present in 5 cases. CT-scan made it possible to highlight a skull depressing fracture 58.8% and confirm a craniocerebral wound in 35.3%. The average time between patient admission to hospital and completion of surgery was 24.5 hours. The surgery had consisted of the trimming of cranio-cerebral wounds, exploration, duroplasty and lifting of skull depressing fracture. After 15 months of follow-up, the evolution was favorable in 53.3%, the morbidity was 33.4% and the mortality 17.6%. Conclusion: These are rare but serious conditions because they are fatal and disabling. An early and multidisciplinary management can hope to have a good favorable.