Altered resting-state functional connectivity within the developing social brain after pediatric traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in childhood and adolescence can interrupt expected development, compromise the integrity of the social brain network (SBN) and impact social skills. Yet, no study has investigated functional alterations of the SBN following pediatric TBI. This study explored functional connectivity within the SBN following TBI in two independent adolescent samples. First, 14 adolescents with mild complex, moderate or severe TBI and 16 typically developing controls (TDC) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging 12–24 months post-injury. Region of interest analyses were conducted to compare the groups' functional connectivity using selected SBN seeds. Then, re..