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Task switching in traumatic brain injury relates to cortico-subcortical integrity
journal contribution
posted on 2014-05-01, 00:00 authored by I Leunissen, J P Coxon, Karen CaeyenberghsKaren Caeyenberghs, K Michiels, S Sunaert, S P SwinnenSuppressing and flexibly adapting actions are a critical part of our daily behavioral repertoire. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients show clear impairments in this type of action control; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we tested whether white matter integrity of cortico-subcortical pathways could account for impairments in task switching, an important component of executive functioning. Twenty young adults with TBI and eighteen controls performed a switching task requiring attention to global versus local stimulus features. Diffusion weighted images were acquired and whole brain tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were used to explore where white matter damage was associated with switching impairment. A crossing fiber model and probabilistic tractography further identified the specific fiber populations. Relative to controls, patients with a history of TBI had a higher switch cost and were less accurate. The TBI group showed a widespread decline in fractional anisotropy (FA) throughout the TBSS skeleton. FA in the superior corona radiata showed a negative relationship with switch cost. More specifically, this involved cortico-subcortical loops with the (pre-)supplementary motor area and superior frontal gyrus. These findings provide evidence for damage to frontal-subcortical projections in TBI, which is associated with task switching impairments. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
History
Journal
Human Brain MappingVolume
35Issue
5Pagination
2459 - 2469Publisher
WileyLocation
London, Eng.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1065-9471eISSN
1097-0193Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
traumatic brain injuryexecutive functionbasal gangliadiffusion tensor imagingScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineNeurosciencesNeuroimagingRadiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical ImagingNeurosciences & NeurologyBLUNT HEAD-INJURYCOGNITIVE CONTROLAXONAL INJURYFOCAL LESIONSDIFFUSION TRACTOGRAPHYFUNCTIONAL-ROLENEUROPSYCHOLOGYDYSFUNCTION
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