Blood-Brain Barrier Breakdown Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Possible Role in Posttraumatic Epilepsy
Figure 4
Abnormal EEG slowing localizes to region of BBB disruption in a 15-year-old PTE patient one month following mild TBI (see text for details). (a) BBB evaluation 10 days after the event revealed a focal area of increased BBB permeability (left, arrow, Brodmann area 40), surrounded by an increase of extravascular volume (right, arrow). (b) Representation of the EEG recording with the x-axis representing the 23 different electrodes, the y-axis the frequencies at 0.5 Hz intervals, and the colour coding the number of standard deviations from the average control EEG. Note the increased power in the delta range over the right temporoparietal electrodes (arrows). (c) sLORETA localized the delta activity to the right parietal region (Brodmann area 40). Repeated MRI scans 1 (d) and 4 months (e) following the trauma revealed a resolution of the BBB lesion. (f) Histogram representation of the permeability values surrounding the cortical lesion (normalized to the average value of the contralateral hemisphere). (g) Four months after the trauma there is a significant decrease in the permeability values, as well as in the extravascular volume. (h) Quantification of the average delta power shows a significant reduction in delta wave activity as time progresses, though remaining significantly increased compared to controls even 4 months after the event and resolution of the BBB lesion. *, **.
