http://goo.gl/lpW8n8
Nearly 3.8 million people per year suffer from a concussion of some kind. Of that selection, post-concussion psychiatric disorders such as depression, irritability and anxiety are not uncommon. These illnesses can be debilitating to patients and families, in addition to the struggles they already face from rehabilitation after injury.
The mechanisms underlying these changes after concussion are not sufficiently understood among scientists, and conventional MRI results in most of these patients are "normal."
However, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) sought to better medical understanding of psychiatric disorders after injury.
The researchers used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), an MRI technique that measures the integrity of white matter–the brain’s signal-transmitting nerve fibers–to see if injuries to the nerves may be the cause of post-traumatic depression and anxiety symptoms.
The results indicated that there were patterns in the white matter of patients who had depression or anxiety. Compared to the controls, patients suffering from depression had decreased "fractional anisotropy" (FA), a measure of the structural integrity of white matter connections, around an area near the deep gray matter of the brain, that is strongly associated with the brain's reward system.
The mechanisms underlying these changes after concussion are not sufficiently understood among scientists, and conventional MRI results in most of these patients are "normal."
However, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) sought to better medical understanding of psychiatric disorders after injury.
The researchers used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), an MRI technique that measures the integrity of white matter–the brain’s signal-transmitting nerve fibers–to see if injuries to the nerves may be the cause of post-traumatic depression and anxiety symptoms.
The results indicated that there were patterns in the white matter of patients who had depression or anxiety. Compared to the controls, patients suffering from depression had decreased "fractional anisotropy" (FA), a measure of the structural integrity of white matter connections, around an area near the deep gray matter of the brain, that is strongly associated with the brain's reward system.