dc.contributor.advisor	Hannay, H. Julia
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Ewing-Cobbs, Linda
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Juranek, Jenifer
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Massman, Paul J.
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Taylor, Patricia
dc.creator	Harik, Lindsey M.
dc.date.accessioned	2016-03-14T01:35:35Z
dc.date.available	2016-03-14T01:35:35Z
dc.date.created	August 2015
dc.date.issued	2015-08
dc.date.updated	2016-03-14T01:35:36Z
dc.description.abstract	The aim of this study was to determine if cerebral white matter integrity is predictive of Written Expression (WE) performance in children, and if the relation between white matter integrity and WE performance differs between children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and children with orthopedic injury (OI). White matter integrity was approximated via diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) using tract-based spatial statistics. The current study utilized two DTI metrics, fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), to assess integrity of white matter tracts. White matter tract integrity values were used to predict WE performance in the TBI group and the OI comparison group. General linear modeling (GLM) and multiple mediation analyses were used to predict performance on measures of WE at twelve months post-injury from white matter integrity at three months post-injury. Measures of WE included Thematic Maturity, Writing Fluency, and Spelling. Children with OI demonstrated significantly stronger performance on Writing Fluency and Spelling than children with TBI but there was no significant difference between groups on TMI performance. Children with TBI showed significantly decreased white matter integrity three months post-injury as compared to children with OI. Writing Fluency and TMI performance were fully mediated by FA values of the anterior thalamic radiation and corticospinal tract and Writing Fluency performance was also predicted by group differences in cingulum bundle microstructure. Taken together, these findings suggest that TBI negatively impacts the microstructural integrity of specific pathways that support WE performance and that these microstructural alterations account for post-traumatic changes in the content and fluency of production of written narratives. These findings are relevant for further understanding the role of white matter in academic performance and the impact of TBI on the developing brain.
dc.description.department	Psychology, Department of
dc.format.digitalOrigin	born digital
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10657/1266
dc.language.iso	eng
dc.rights	The author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).
dc.subject	Traumatic brain injury
dc.subject	Pediatrics
dc.subject	Diffusion tensor imaging
dc.subject	Written expression
dc.subject	Tract-based spatial statistics
dc.title	The impact of pediatric traumatic brain injury on written expression: a diffusion tensor imaging study utilizing tract-based spatial statistics
dc.type.dcmi	Text
dc.type.genre	Thesis
thesis.degree.college	College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
thesis.degree.department	Psychology, Department of
thesis.degree.discipline	Psychology, Clinical
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Houston
thesis.degree.level	Doctoral
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Philosophy

The impact of pediatric traumatic brain injury on written expression: a diffusion tensor imaging study utilizing tract-based spatial statistics

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