If you have suffered a mild to moderate brain injury, structural scans, such as MRI or CT (computerized tomography) are usually “normal” for two reasons:

1. the damage may be too microscopic for the scans to detect; or
2. the damage may have produced non-structural changes that are circulatory or metabolic in nature, such as neurochemical or neuropeptide imbalances in the brain. Non-structural changes cannot be detected by a structural scan.

Functional MRI (fMRI), however, works differently and can detect the brain dysfunction itself. For more information, see Functional Connectivity.

After a brain injury, you may develop long-lasting physical and cognitive symptoms that hamper every day and work functioning, a condition usually referred to as Post Concussive Syndrome (PCS). If the usual structural scans (MRI, CT) are normal, then it may be suggested that your problems are “psychological”. When you continue to suffer from the debilitating symptoms of PCS but are told that your brain is “normal”, this is very distressing. Without a true diagnosis of your condition, a doctor or clinician might recommend treatment that doesn’t address your situation.

Previously, patients had to rely on neuropsychological testing which is an indirect measure of brain dysfunction. fMRI offers a direct measure of brain dysfunction.  fMRI detects the metabolic activity of brain cells and this data is compared to the brain activity of a database of people without brain injury. A statistical test is then used to determine whether your brain function falls into the normal or abnormal range.

fMRI evidence of brain injury clarifies diagnosis and strengthens expert opinion on causation, severity, disability and impairment. If your brain function is abnormal, this confirms your credibility and opens the door to effective treatment and financial support.

Severe Brain Injury

A severe brain injury is usually defined as being a condition where the patient has been in an unconscious state for 6 hours or more, or a post-traumatic amnesia of 24 hours or more. Many patients regain consciousness, but some remain in a minimally conscious state where they have only have intermittent response to their environment. fMRI can help in these cases by identifying which brain networks are still functional, so that you can focus your communication efforts on those networks. For example, if the patient’s auditory network is dysfunctional while the visual networks are intact, you can focus on visual contact with the patient. In addition, you can use this data to inform treatment and rehabilitation efforts.

Baseline Assessment

If are you planning on engaging in a particular employment or sport where there is a heightened risk of a head injury you may want to establish the health of your brain networks prior to the activity.  If you scan your brain prior to the activities your data will be preserved and, if you suffer a head injury, you can compare the second scan with the first. This will help determine the complete effect of the injury.

If you have questions, please review our FAQ’s.  For further information please contact us at info@brainscandiagnostics.com