Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Taegu, Korea | [b] Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine Yeungnam University, Taegu, Korea
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Sung Ho Jang, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University 317-1, Daemyungdong, Namku, Taegu, 705-717, Korea. Tel.: +82 53 620 3269; Fax: +82 53 620 3269; E-mail: strokerehab@hanmail.net, belado@med.yu.ac.kr
Abstract: We report on a patient with traumatic brain injury who showed neural connection between injured cingulum and pedunculopontine nucleus on diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). A 74-year-old male who had suffered a traffic accident underwent conservative management for subarachnoid haemorrhage. Brain MRI which was performed 6 months after onset showed no specific lesions. On 6-month DTTs for cingulum of the patient, we observed discontinuations of both cingulums above the genu of corpus callosum. However, the left cingulum was connected to the left PPN via a neural tract that passed through the anterior corona radiata and thalamus. The neural connection between the injured cingulum and PPN seems to be a compensatory phenomenon for the destruction of cholinergic pathways from basal forebrain. We believe that this result might suggest one of recovery mechanisms of injured cingulum following brain injury.
