Traumatic Axonal Injury: Atlas of Major Pathways

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that combat-related traumatic brain injuries are a frequent occurrence. Recent studies detailing the most common injuries have found that approximately one-half involved the head or neck. Several studies from the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) of soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq document the occurrence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in many soldiers. Identification of TBI, particularly mild TBI, is often quite challenging. The most common type of injury, and the most likely injury to occur in mild TBI, is traumatic axonal injury. Even small areas of injury within the white matter may have devastating consequences. Knowledge of the locations of major tracts and the brain areas they interconnect is thus critical for understanding clinical symptoms in the context of TBI. Care must be taken in applying this summary of functional anatomy to individual patients, as studies comparing pathway topography between subjects have shown considerable normal variability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)