Wei Liu1,
2, Binquan Wang1, 2, Tian Liu3,
Ping-Hong Yeh1, 2, John Graner2, 4,
John M. Ollinger2, 4, Hai Pan1, 2,
Jamie Harper2, 4, Terrence R. Oakes2, 4,
Yi Wang3, Gerard Riedy2, 4
1Henry
M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD,
United States; 2National Capital Neuroimaging Consortium,
Bethesda, MD, United States; 3Biomedical Engineering, Cornell
University, New York, United States; 4National Intrepid Center of
Excellence, Bethesda, MD, United States
Brain apparent magnetic susceptibility was assessed in 32 mild TBI patients from a military population using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). Voxel-wise group analysis of QSM images demonstrated scattered clusters with altered susceptibility (p<0.01 after cluster size correction) in mild TBI patients compared to controls. Magnetic susceptibilities in some cluster regions demonstrated significant correlations with neurocognitive data from the Short Form of Health Scores and scores from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Check List. The susceptibility changes seen in mild TBI patients may be sensitive indicators of alterations in iron and/or myelin content and could be an indicator for damage to the brain.