Takeaway
White matter volume and integrity changes observed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are associated with symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI); early detection can help select patients at risk of poor outcome for clinical follow-up or interventional trials.
Why this matters
Persistent symptoms after mild mTBI occur in 30–50% of the patients, and these symptoms may be reduced by early intervention.
There is a lack of validated prediction model of recovery after mild mTBI; an urgent need remains for a tool that risk-stratifies patients early after presentation.
MRI analysis of neuroanatomical changes at early time points show clinical utility and potential prognostic value in identifying patients at risk of unfavorable recovery.