Neuroimaging Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury

Noninvasive neuroimaging provides the means to quantify various structural and physiological aspects of brain injury in intact animals. Different modalities are sensitive to lesion volume, metabolism, axonal connectivity, blood–brain barrier status, and hemorrhage. Moreover, different contrast agents and tracers can be used in most imaging modalities to highlight abnormalities or to follow certain molecular pathways. Since neuroimaging is generally completed on anesthetized animals, longitudinal studies are feasible, allowing within subject study designs. An added value of most neuroimaging techniques is that they can also be carried out in human survivors of brain injury using widely available clinical systems. Hence, they are well suited to translational studies for diagnosis, patient management, and drug development.