Resting-state network plasticity induced by music therapy after traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by a complex pattern of abnormalities in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), and neuropathology focused on network dysfunction. Here we report a fMRI study of brain network changes induced during a randomised controlled trial of neurological music therapy in 23 moderate/severe TBI patients. Our ROI-to- ROI approach used four networks as sources: the frontoparietal (FPN), dorsal attention (DAN), default mode (DMN), and salience (SAL) networks. These networks include high-degree nodes or network hubs, and have all been associated with cognitive impairment after TBI. Furthermore, we investigated the correlation between brain network changes and executive function (EF). Lastly, we implemented a seed-to-voxel analysis to cross-link whole-brain rsFC with brain morphometry results obtained in our previous study of this data. The neurological music therapy increased the coupling between the FPN and DAN as well as between these networks and primary sensory networks that were engaged during musical training. By contrast, the DMN was less connected with sensory networks after the intervention. Similarly, there was a shift towards a less connected state within the FPN and SAL networks, which are typically hyperconnected following TBI. Improvements in EF were correlated with rsFC within the FPN and between the DMN and sensorimotor networks. Finally, the increase in grey matter volume in frontal regions was associated with greater rsFC in areas implicated in music processing. This study is the largest of its kind, and suggests that rsFC in response to music-based rehabilitation may provide sensitive biomarkers of cognitive recovery after TBI.

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Resting-State Network Plasticity Induced by Music Therapy after Traumatic Brain Injury

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2021/6682471 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

Noelia Martínez-Molina ◽

Sini-Tuuli Siponkoski ◽

Linda Kuusela ◽

Sari Laitinen ◽

Milla Holma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Music Therapy ◽

Resting State ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Cognitive Networks ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Connectivity Analysis ◽

The Right

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by a complex pattern of abnormalities in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and network dysfunction, which can potentially be ameliorated by rehabilitation. In our previous randomized controlled trial, we found that a 3-month neurological music therapy intervention enhanced executive function (EF) and increased grey matter volume in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in patients with moderate-to-severe TBI ( N = 40 ). Extending this study, we performed longitudinal rsFC analyses of resting-state fMRI data using a ROI-to-ROI approach assessing within-network and between-network rsFC in the frontoparietal (FPN), dorsal attention (DAN), default mode (DMN), and salience (SAL) networks, which all have been associated with cognitive impairment after TBI. We also performed a seed-based connectivity analysis between the right IFG and whole-brain rsFC. The results showed that neurological music therapy increased the coupling between the FPN and DAN as well as between these networks and primary sensory networks. By contrast, the DMN was less connected with sensory networks after the intervention. Similarly, there was a shift towards a less connected state within the FPN and SAL networks, which are typically hyperconnected following TBI. Improvements in EF were correlated with rsFC within the FPN and between the DMN and sensorimotor networks. Finally, in the seed-based connectivity analysis, the right IFG showed increased rsFC with the right inferior parietal and left frontoparietal (Rolandic operculum) regions. Together, these results indicate that the rehabilitative effects of neurological music therapy after TBI are underpinned by a pattern of within- and between-network connectivity changes in cognitive networks as well as increased connectivity between frontal and parietal regions associated with music processing.

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Detecting functional connectivity disruptions in a translational pediatric traumatic brain injury porcine model using resting-state and task-based fMRI

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-91853-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Gregory Simchick ◽

Kelly M. Scheulin ◽

Wenwu Sun ◽

Sydney E. Sneed ◽

Madison M. Fagan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Brain Network ◽

Network Activity ◽

Anatomical Structures ◽

Healthy Control ◽

And Task

AbstractFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has significant potential to evaluate changes in brain network activity after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and enable early prognosis of potential functional (e.g., motor, cognitive, behavior) deficits. In this study, resting-state and task-based fMRI (rs- and tb-fMRI) were utilized to examine network changes in a pediatric porcine TBI model that has increased predictive potential in the development of novel therapies. rs- and tb-fMRI were performed one day post-TBI in piglets. Activation maps were generated using group independent component analysis (ICA) and sparse dictionary learning (sDL). Activation maps were compared to pig reference functional connectivity atlases and evaluated using Pearson spatial correlation coefficients and mean ratios. Nonparametric permutation analyses were used to determine significantly different activation areas between the TBI and healthy control groups. Significantly lower Pearson values and mean ratios were observed in the visual, executive control, and sensorimotor networks for TBI piglets compared to controls. Significant differences were also observed within several specific individual anatomical structures within each network. In conclusion, both rs- and tb-fMRI demonstrate the ability to detect functional connectivity disruptions in a translational TBI piglet model, and these disruptions can be traced to specific affected anatomical structures.

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