Abstract
Advances in structural and functional neuroimaging have occurred at a rapid pace over
the past two decades. Novel techniques for measuring cerebral blood flow, metabolism,
white matter connectivity, and neural network activation have great potential to improve
the accuracy of diagnosis and prognosis for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI),
while also providing biomarkers to guide the development of new therapies. Several
of these advanced imaging modalities are currently being implemented into clinical
practice, whereas others require further development and validation. Ultimately, for
advanced neuroimaging techniques to reach their full potential and improve clinical
care for the many civilians and military personnel affected by TBI, it is critical
for clinicians to understand the applications and methodological limitations of each
technique. In this review, we examine recent advances in structural and functional
neuroimaging and the potential applications of these techniques to the clinical care
of patients with TBI. We also discuss pitfalls and confounders that should be considered
when interpreting data from each technique. Finally, given the vast amounts of advanced
imaging data that will soon be available to clinicians, we discuss strategies for
optimizing data integration, visualization, and interpretation.
Keywords
traumatic brain injury (TBI) - susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) - diffusion tensor
imaging (DTI) - high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) - functional MRI
(fMRI) - traumatic axonal injury (TAI)
