Utilizing Diffusion Tensor Imaging to Illustrate Mild TBI

Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a very common disorder and affects over one million Americans each year. A recent study has linked mild traumatic brain injury to abnormalities in the white matter of the brain, also known as “potholes”.

With over two million soldiers in the United States alone, an estimated 10% of these men and women have experienced TBI while being deployed overseas. Due to the fact that TBI is so difficult to diagnose or detect, there are likely to be thousands of soldiers who are not aware that they have sustained a TBI. The University of Iowa research team used a MRI based brain scanning technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to study the brains of ninety-three (93) veterans. Utilizing DTI, researchers found that soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with mild TBI have more abnormalities in the white matter of their brains compared to those who have not experienced TBI.

Studies have demonstrated that the severity of the injury and increased severity of cognitive alterations, (which affects the ability to make a decision) are the only two criteria influencing the number of potholes; as opposed to age, duration since trauma, coexisting psychological problems, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
A “mild” traumatic brain injury may be nothing more than minor damage to the axonal fibers. However, this may result in long lasting very significant consequences. In fact, it is not uncommon for the symptoms to grow worse over time. As a personal injury attorney, I often utilize the services of Neurologists, Neuropsychologists, Vocational Rehabilitation specialists and other professionals to illustrate the long lasting consequences of a brain injury and to assist my TBI client on the road to recovery.

If you would like more information on claims involving an injury to the brain, call the injury law attorneys of the Dolman Law Group for a free consultation and case evaluation at:
(727) 451-6900.

-Matthew A. Dolman, Esq.