Download or read book Altered Neuronal Activity in the Frontal Cortex in Individuals Suffering from Mental Fatigue After a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury written by Simon Skau and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Background: Pathological mental fatigue after mild traumatic brain injury (TBI-MF) is characterized by pronounced mental fatigue after moderate cognitive activity. We aimed in the following study to investigate neuronal activity in frontal cortex and relate it to cognitive performance during a longer test session.Methods: We recruited individuals with TBI-MF (n=20) more than 5 months after injury and age-matched healthy individuals (n=20). We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess hemodynamic changes (oxygenated hemoglobin) in the frontal cortex during prolonged cognitive activity. A block of six neuro-psychological tests was performed in sequence and was repeated once. A sustained-attention test was done between blocks. In total, the test procedure took 2 u00bd hours. Results: The TBI-MF group demonstrated an altered functional brain activity in the frontal cortex during cognitive tests. No difference in brain activity between the two test sessions was found, and this was the case for both groups. Group differences in brain activity were detected already during the first test session relating to the test for conflict processing and processing speed. The fNIRS adapted Stroop-Simon test, measuring brain activity for each single task, showed a generally lower event-related activity in the frontal polar area, ventrolateral motor cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The fNIRS assessment for processing speed (Digit Symbol Coding) demonstrated more widespread activity in the frontal cortex in the TBI-MF group as compared to controls. The controls improved their processing speed in the second session while the TBI-MF group performed at a similar level (interaction, p