Researchers found that patients had abnormalities in a region of the brain known as the thalamus , which integrates all sensory information and relays this information around the brain .
Issue 32.3
Dr Stamatakis and colleagues studied fMRI brain scans -- that is , functional MRI scans , which look at how different areas of the brain coordinate with each other -- taken from 108 patients with mild traumatic brain injury and compared them with scans from 76 healthy volunteers . Patients were also assessed for ongoing symptoms .
The patients and volunteers had been recruited to CENTER-TBI , a large European research project which aims to improve the care for patients with traumatic brain injury , co-chaired by Professor David Menon ( head of the division of Anaesthesia ) and funded by the European Union .
In results published today in Brain , the team found that just under half ( 45 %) were still showing symptoms resulting from their brain injury , with the most common being fatigue , poor concentration and headaches .
The researchers found that these patients had abnormalities in a region of the brain known as the thalamus , which integrates all sensory information and relays this information around the brain . Counter-intuitively , concussion was associated with increased connectivity between the thalamus and the rest of the brain -- in other words , the thalamus was trying to communicate more as a result of the injury -- and the greater this connectivity , the poorer the prognosis for the patient .
Rebecca Woodrow , a PhD student in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Hughes Hall , Cambridge , said : “ Despite there being no obvious structural damage to the brain in routine scans , we saw clear evidence that the thalamus--the brain ’ s relay system--was hyperconnected . We might interpret this as the thalamus trying to over-compensate for any anticipated damage , and this appears to be at the root of some of the long-lasting symptoms that patients experience .”
By studying additional data from positron emission tomography ( PET ) scans , which can measure regional chemical composition of body tissues , the researchers were able to make associations with key neurotransmitters depending on which long-term symptoms a patient displayed . For example , patients experiencing cognitive problems such as memory difficulties showed increased connectivity between the thalamus and areas of the brain rich in the neurotransmitter noradrenaline ; patients experiencing emotional symptoms , such as depression or irritability , showed greater connectivity with areas of the brain rich in serotonin .
Dr Stamatakis , who is also Stephen Erskine Fellow at Queens ’ College , Cambridge , added : “ We know that there already drugs that target these brain chemicals so our findings offer hope that in future , not only might we be able to predict a patient ’ s prognosis , but we may also be able to offer a treatment targeting their particular symptoms .” g
Researchers found that patients had abnormalities in a region of the brain known as the thalamus , which integrates all sensory information and relays this information around the brain .
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