Lead author Dr. Marilyn Kraus of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine said diffusion tensor imaging uses magnetic resonance imaging technology to examine the integrity of white matter that is especially vulnerable to traumatic brain injury.

In the study, 37 traumatic brain injury patients -- 20 mild and 17 moderate-to-severe -- and 18 healthy volunteers underwent diffusion tensor imaging and neuropsychological testing to evaluate memory, attention and executive function.

The researchers found that structural changes in the white matter correlate to observable cognitive deficits related to thinking, memory and attention. Patients with more severe injuries had greater white matter abnormalities, representing a permanent change in the brain.

The study is published in the journal Brain.