Brain Functional Connectivity Network Adjustments After Lateral Fluid Percussion Injury in Immature Rats, a Longitudinal Study

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in pediatrics presents unique challenges due to the rapid and complex nature of brain development. Understanding TBI's impact on pediatric brain function and structure necessitates advanced modeling techniques, such as brain network modeling. This study explores functional connectivity network (FCN) alterations following mild to moderate lateral fluid percussion injury (IFPI) in immature rats, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Re-sults indicate region-dependent changes in voxel-wise functional connectivity, with major global hypo-connectivity and major local hyper-connectivity observed post-injury. Notably, hippocampus, contralateral to the impact site, shows compensatory hyper-connectivity. These findings suggest that TBI disrupts brain connectivity development, warranting further investigation into the topological variations in brain networks over time.