Su Xu1, 2,
Kaspar M. Keledjian3, Jiachen Zhuo1, 2, Xin
Lu1, 2, Vladimir V. Gerzanich3, J. Marc
Simard3, Rao P. Gullapalli1, 2
1Department
of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School
of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 2Core for Translational
Research in Imaging @ Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States; 3Departments
of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD,
United States
In this study we investigated in vivo changes using advanced MRI to understand the effects of a blast overpressure traumatic brain injury on a direct cranial blast injury rat model. Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and proton MRS was used before and up to 28 days following the blast injury. Results indicate that while no structure imaging and MRS changes were found until 14 days following injury, significant structural changes were found in the internal capsule, cerebellum and cortex after 14 days using DKI. These changes were also accompanied by changes in neurometabolites at 28 days in the cerebellum suggesting delayed effects following blast injury which is consistent with mild TBI.