Subcortical functional connectivity and its association with walking performance following deployment related mild TBI

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction: The relation between traumatic brain injury (TBI), its acute and chronic symptoms, and the potential for remote neurodegenerative disease is a priority for military research. Structural and functional connectivity (FC) of the basal ganglia, involved in motor tasks such as walking, are altered in some samples of Service Members and Veterans with TBI, but any behavioral implications are unclear and could further depend on the context in which the TBI occurred. Methods: In this study, FC from caudate and pallidum seeds was measured in Service Members and Veterans with a history of mild TBI that occurred during combat deployment, Service Members and Veterans whose mild TBI occurred outside of deployment, and Service Members and Veterans who had no lifetime history of TBI. Results: FC patterns differed for the two contextual types of mild TBI. Service Members and Veterans with deployment-related mild TBI demonstrated increased FC between the right caudate and lateral occipital regions relative to both the non-deployment mild TBI and TBI-negative groups. When evaluating the association between FC from the caudate and gait, the non-deployment mild TBI group showed a significant positive relationship between walking time and FC with the frontal pole, implicated in navigational planning, whereas the deployment-related mild TBI group trended towards a greater negative association between walking time and FC within the occipital lobes, associated with visuo-spatial processing during navigation. Discussion: These findings have implications for elucidating subtle motor disruption in Service Members and Veterans with deployment-related mild TBI. Possible implications for future walking performance are discussed.

Source: Frontiers in Neurology

DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1276437

Authors: Mary R. Newsome, Sarah L. Martindale, Nicholas Davenport, Emily L. Dennis, Marlene Diaz, Carrie Esopenko, Cooper Hodges, George R. Jackson, Qisheng Liu, Kimbra Kenney, Andrew R. Mayer, Jared A. Rowland, Randall S. Scheibel, Joel L. Steinberg, Brian A. Taylor, David F. Tate, J. Kent Werner, William C. Walker, Elisabeth A. Wilde

Institutions: Baylor College of Medicine, University of Utah, George E. Wahlen Department of VA Medical Center, W. G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center, Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers, VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Brigham Young University, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Mind Research Network, University of New Mexico, Virginia Commonwealth University, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Language: English

Topic: Traumatic Brain Injury Research

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,295

Funders: U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

OpenAlex ID: W4389726890