Subcortical Functional Connectivity and Its Association With Walking Performance Following Deployment Related Mild TBI

Authors

Mary R Newsome
Sarah L Martindale
Nicholas Davenport
Emily L Dennis
Marlene Diaz
Carrie Esopenko
Cooper Hodges
George R Jackson
Qisheng Liu
Kimbra Kenney
Andrew R Mayer
Jared A Rowland
Randall S Scheibel
Joel L Steinberg
Brian A Taylor
David F Tate
J Kent Werner
William C Walker
Elisabeth A Wilde

Publication Date

1-1-2023

Journal

Frontiers in Neurology

DOI

10.3389/fneur.2023.1276437

PMID

38156092

PMCID

PMC10752967

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

12-14-2023

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

basal ganglia, movement disorders, globus pallidus, functional connectivity, traumatic brain injury (TBI), service members and veterans, deployment (military), subcortical

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The relation between traumatic brain injury (TBI), its acute and chronic symptoms, and the potential for remote neurodegenerative disease is a priority for military research. Structural and functional connectivity (FC) of the basal ganglia, involved in motor tasks such as walking, are altered in some samples of Service Members and Veterans with TBI, but any behavioral implications are unclear and could further depend on the context in which the TBI occurred.

METHODS: In this study, FC from caudate and pallidum seeds was measured in Service Members and Veterans with a history of mild TBI that occurred during combat deployment, Service Members and Veterans whose mild TBI occurred outside of deployment, and Service Members and Veterans who had no lifetime history of TBI.

RESULTS: FC patterns differed for the two contextual types of mild TBI. Service Members and Veterans with deployment-related mild TBI demonstrated increased FC between the right caudate and lateral occipital regions relative to both the non-deployment mild TBI and TBI-negative groups. When evaluating the association between FC from the caudate and gait, the non-deployment mild TBI group showed a significant positive relationship between walking time and FC with the frontal pole, implicated in navigational planning, whereas the deployment-related mild TBI group trended towards a greater negative association between walking time and FC within the occipital lobes, associated with visuo-spatial processing during navigation.

DISCUSSION: These findings have implications for elucidating subtle motor disruption in Service Members and Veterans with deployment-related mild TBI. Possible implications for future walking performance are discussed.