Abstract
Objective: Examine relationships of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) fractional anisotropy (FA) to executive function (EF) and attention measures following early childhood (3–7 years) traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Design: Exploratory correlation and comparison study.
Setting: Children's hospital outpatient facilities.
Participants: 9 children with a history of TBI (age=7.89 ± 1.00~years; Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)= 10.11 ± 4.68) were compared to 12 children with OI (age=7.51 ± 0.95). All children were at least 12 months post injury at time of evaluation.
Main Outcome Measures: FA in various regions of interest (ROI), EF and attention measures.
Results: FA values primarily in the frontal white matter tracks correlated with EF measures. Separate tasks of inhibition and switching correlated significantly with FA in bilateral frontal lobes. Tasks combining both inhibition and switching correlated significantly with FA values in the left frontal lobe. Tasks of attention negatively correlated with FA values in the right frontal white matter and the superior longitudinal fasciculus.
Conclusions: Associations between late measurement of FA and EF measures following early childhood TBI suggest that persistent white matter changes, especially in the frontal white matter, may provide an index of EF deficits.