Preliminary findings of altered functional connectivity of the default mode network linked to functional outcomes one year after pediatric traumatic brain injury.

Only 11 children with injury and 11 uninjured children were analysed, and the authors described the study as a pilot, so the findings are preliminary. Of 17 children with injury from the larger study, 11 were included; some were excluded for missing scans, refusal, dental hardware, no return at 12 months, or unusable imaging data. The uninjured group had scans but no behavioral testing, so behavior cannot be directly compared between groups. Some children in the injured group had pre-injury diagnoses, prior concussions, or prior executive concerns, although analyses including and excluding them gave the same findings. Some youth were athletes, and sports participation and possible subconcussive hits were not controlled. The injured children performed well overall, so the study may not represent children with more obvious deficits. The parent-reported executive control association did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. The region-level group difference in connectivity was a trend rather than a significant difference.

The authors reported no conflicts of interest and stated that they alone were responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Do not conclude that altered brain network connections cause motor or executive problems, or that this scan can guide treatment. This small pilot found associations one year after injury, but the injured children performed well overall, the region-level group difference was a trend, and the parent-reported executive control link did not survive correction for multiple comparisons.