. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Nov 24.

Published in final edited form as: J Pediatr Rehabil Med. 2009;2(4):249–253. doi: 10.3233/PRM-2009-0099

Table 1.

Summary of advanced MRI techniques and their applicability to Traumatic Brain Injury

Technique name	Detected entity	Outcome variable(s)
Susceptibility Weighted Imaging	Deoxygenated/extravasated blood (proxy for diffuse axonal injury)	Number/volume of lesions
Diffusion Tensor Imaging	Diffusion of water	Fractional anisotropy (FA, integrity of white matter tracts), size of white matter tracts
Morphometric analyses	Size/shape of structures (for evaluating atrophy)	Change in volume and shape of brain structures, cortical thickness
Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (¹H-MRS)	Neurometabolite levels	Levels of N-acetyl-aspartate, Creatine, Choline, and other neurometabolites
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging	Changes in blood oxygenation levels (proxy for cerebral activation)	Cortical activation patterns in response to a task or at rest