#diffusion-tensor-imaging — Public Fediverse posts
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DATE: August 16, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain scans reveal lasting tissue and chemical changes in both long COVID and recovered patients
Even after people recover from COVID-19, their brains may retain lasting physical and chemical changes. A recent scanning study found altered brain tissue patterns and neurochemical levels in both long COVID patients and those who fully recovered, compared to individuals who were never infected. The findings were published in the journal Brain, Behavior, & Immunity Health.
The virus responsible for COVID-19 can cause a range of persistent neurological symptoms, including brain fog, fatigue, and memory issues. While these symptoms are defining features of long COVID, some cognitive slowing also appears in people who report feeling fully recovered from the virus. Medical researchers are currently trying to map the biological roots of these brain-based symptoms. Medical imaging techniques allow experts to look inside the living brain to measure the health of its structural connections and the chemical environments that support cell function.
One target of interest is myelin, the insulating sheath that wraps around the long fibers of nerve cells. Myelin acts like the rubber coating on a copper wire, helping electrical signals travel quickly and efficiently across the brain. When myelin is damaged, communication between brain regions can slow down or fail. Another focus is the microscopic movement of water molecules through brain tissue, which can reveal subtle structural damage.
A third area of interest involves brain neurochemicals, the molecules that power brain cells and facilitate their communication. To see how these brain characteristics change after a viral infection, neuroimaging expert Kiran Thapaliya and colleagues at Griffith University in Australia designed a comparative study. The researchers set out to measure myelin levels, tissue microstructure, and neurochemical balances simultaneously. They wanted to see if distinct physical differences exist between those who never had the virus, those who fully recovered, and those still suffering from long COVID.
The research team recruited 47 adult participants for a small study. The group included 19 people with long COVID, 12 individuals who had fully recovered from a COVID-19 infection, and 16 healthy control subjects who had never contracted the virus. All participants underwent brain scanning using a powerful magnetic resonance imaging machine.
First, the team captured two types of structural images, known as T1-weighted and T2-weighted scans. By calculating the ratio between these two image types, the researchers could estimate the concentration of myelin across different regions of the brain. They also used a technique called diffusion tensor imaging to track how water molecules diffuse through brain tissue.
Normal brain tissue allows water to flow in predictable patterns, while damaged tissue alters this flow. Finally, the researchers used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure the concentration of specific chemical compounds in the brain.
After processing the brain scans, the researchers compared the results across the three participant groups. The myelin mapping analysis revealed altered signal intensities in both long COVID patients and fully recovered individuals when compared to the never-infected group. Specifically, people with long COVID showed elevated myelin signals in the precentral gyrus and middle temporal gyrus, brain regions involved in motor control and memory. The recovered group also showed elevated signals in the precentral gyrus and the posterior cingulate cortex compared to the uninfected control group.
When comparing long COVID patients directly to the recovered individuals, differences in myelin signals appeared in unique regions. The recovered group had higher signal intensities in the brainstem and cerebellum compared to those with long COVID. The researchers noted that these altered signals might indicate an active biological process, such as the brain attempting to repair damaged myelin sheaths or ongoing inflammation.
The water diffusion scans also pointed to lingering tissue changes. Long COVID patients displayed reduced water diffusion in certain brain regions compared to the uninfected control group. The fully recovered participants similarly showed reduced diffusion in the caudate region of the brain, an area involved in learning and memory. These altered water movement patterns suggest that the microscopic structure of the brain tissue changed following the initial viral infection.
The chemical analysis revealed imbalances primarily between the long COVID and recovered groups. The researchers found that individuals with long COVID had higher levels of N-acetyl-aspartate, a molecule related to energy metabolism in neurons. The recovered participants had higher levels of glutamine. Glutamine is an amino acid that brain cells consume for energy and immune regulation.
The team also checked to see if the brain scan measurements matched the physical and cognitive symptoms reported by the long COVID patients. They found that lower myelin signals in the middle temporal gyrus corresponded with greater physical impairment. Additionally, lower myelin signals in the midbrain correlated with worse cognitive dysfunction. This indicates that myelin health relates directly to the severity of long COVID symptoms.
The study provides an initial look at how a viral infection might leave a lasting imprint on the brain, but it has limitations. With a total of 47 participants, this is a small study, meaning the results must be interpreted cautiously until they can be replicated in a larger population. Because the researchers only scanned participants at a single point in time, the data cannot show how these brain changes develop or resolve over months or years. The findings highlight associations between brain changes and viral recovery, but they do not prove that the virus directly caused the specific myelin or chemical alterations.
Future research will need to track patients over extended periods to see if these brain changes are permanent or if they slowly revert to normal. Larger studies could also help clarify whether the elevated myelin signals represent a healthy repair process or a sign of chronic inflammation.
The study, “Altered brain tissue microstructure and neurochemical profiles in long COVID and recovered COVID-19 individuals: A multimodal MRI study,” was authored by Kiran Thapaliya, Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, Maira Inderyas, and Leighton Barnden.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #LongCOVIDBrain #BrainImaging #MyelinHealth #Neurochemistry #MRIStudy #COVIDNeurology #BrainFogAwareness #NeuroRecovery #DiffusionTensorImaging #CognitiveFatigue
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4 Ways Childhood Trauma Physically Changes a Man’s Brain
Originally Published on January 13th, 2026 at 10:23 amIntroduction: More Than a Memory
It is widely understood that childhood trauma, particularly childhood sexual abuse (CSA), leaves deep and lasting psychological scars.
The experience can shape a person’s emotional landscape for a lifetime. It can lead to challenges like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. For many, the impact feels profound, but the injury itself can seem invisible.
But what if the damage wasn’t just psychological? What if the trauma left a physical, measurable imprint on the very structure of the brain? A new brain imaging study provides compelling evidence that this is exactly what happens.
The research focuses specifically on the long-term neurophysiological effects of CSA in men. We know this is a topic that remains heavily stigmatized and under-researched. Despite its prevalence, with approximately 1 in 25 men in Canada experiencing sexual abuse before age 15 (Heidinger, 2022), the physical toll it takes has been poorly understood until now.
This study begins to change that.
1. Childhood Trauma Physically Alters the Brain’s “Communication Highways”
The researchers used a specialized MRI technique called Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). DTI looks deep inside the brain’s white matter.
You can think of white matter as the brain’s internal communication wiring or its information superhighways. White matter consists of bundles of nerve fibers that connect different brain regions and allow them to work together seamlessly.
The study measured a key property of this wiring called “fractional anisotropy” (FA). In simple terms, FA is a measure of the integrity and efficiency of these communication pathways.
Higher FA values indicate well-organized, healthy wiring. While lower values suggest the wiring may be less organized, frayed, or poorly insulated, leading to disrupted signaling.
The study’s core finding was unequivocal: the group of men with a history of CSA had significantly lower FA values in multiple key brain regions compared to the control group. This provides clear physical proof that the trauma fundamentally rewired the brain’s architecture.
2. The Damage Targets Critical Hubs for Emotion, Memory, and Executive Function
The study revealed that the structural changes were not random. They were concentrated in white matter tracts that are critical for regulating the very functions that many survivors struggle with.
The specific regions affected include:
- The Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (SLF): This massive tract showed the largest effect. A finding with a statistical effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.902) so large it indicates a profound difference between the groups. The damage was most pronounced in a segment called SLF II. This connects key hubs for attention and memory to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), a critical command center for executive function. This provides a direct neurobiological link explaining why a survivor might struggle with daily tasks like concentrating at work or managing complex projects.
- The Cingulum: As a key part of the brain’s limbic system, the cingulum is a hub for processing emotion, behavior, and memory. Damage here has been previously linked to PTSD and depression. This offers a biological reason for the persistent feelings of anxiety or the intrusive memories that can define a survivor’s experience.
- The Anterior Thalamic Radiation and Forceps Minor: These tracts are essential wiring for the frontal lobe, supporting executive functions like planning complex behaviors and impulse control. Compromised integrity in these pathways can help explain difficulties with emotional regulation and decision-making that survivors often report.
In short, the brain scans reveal a physical roadmap of the injury, showing that the damage isn’t random. It targets the very systems that survivors rely on to regulate emotion, process memory, and maintain focus.
Are you exploring your trauma? Do you feel your childhood experiences were detrimental to your current mental or physical health? Utilize this free, validated, self-report questionnaire to find out.
Take the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire
3. Structural Damage from Childhood Trauma Helps Explain Real-World Cognitive Emotional Challenges
One of the most powerful aspects of this research is how it connects the brain’s physical structure to its real-time function.
Some of the same men who participated in this DTI study also took part in another study that used a functional MRI (fMRI) to see how their brains worked during a challenging mental task (Chiasson et al., 2021).
That fMRI study found that when performing an emotional working memory task, the men with CSA histories showed altered brain activation patterns.
Instead of relying on their dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), the brain’s executive control center, they showed increased activation in limbic areas, the brain’s emotional hub.
This new DTI study provides a compelling physical explanation for why. The structural damage to the Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (SLF II), the “highway” that leads directly to the dlPFC, helps explain why that executive control center was less active. The damaged road was unable to carry the traffic. It forced the brain to create functional “detours” through more emotional pathways. It directly links the physical brain changes to the functional difficulties survivors experience.
4. This Evidence is a Powerful Tool Against Stigma Around Male Childhood Trauma
For male survivors of CSA, stigma and shame often create immense barriers to seeking help. This research offers a powerful tool to fight that stigma.
Having objective, empirical evidence that trauma causes a tangible, neurophysiological injury helps reframe the survivor’s experience.
It is not “just in their head” or a sign of weakness; it is a physical injury that requires understanding and clinical support.
The study’s authors highlight this crucial implication in their conclusion:
“Raising awareness of the impact of CSA is crucial—not only to help destigmatize the topic and encourage more men to seek help, but also to equip clinicians with a better understanding of CSA’s neuro-physiological effects, ultimately contributing to more effective interventions and improved treatment outcomes.”
By demonstrating the physical reality of traumatic injury, this research helps move the conversation around male CSA away from silence and stigma and toward one of scientific understanding, compassion, and informed care.
Conclusion: A Deeper Understanding of Healing
This study offers a stark and clear message: childhood trauma is a profound event that can physically reshape the brain’s architecture.
For men who have survived childhood sexual abuse, this research provides concrete, scientific validation of their experience. It shows that the challenges they face are rooted in tangible changes to the brain’s white matter.
The findings underscore that healing from trauma is not merely a psychological exercise but a process that involves a brain that has been physically altered.
As we continue to uncover the deep nature of traumatic injury, it prompts a vital question for us all:
How might this change our approach to healing, compassion, and justice for survivors?
Does this ring true for you or someone you love? Share how this article shined a light on behaviors you hadn’t previously understood in the comments below.
Are you a professional looking to stay up-to-date with the latest information on, sex addiction, trauma, and mental health news and research? Or maybe you’re looking for continuing education courses? Then you should stay up-to-date with all of Dr. Jen’s work through her practice’s newsletter!
Do you feel your sexual behavior, or that of someone you love, is out of control? Then you should consult with a professional.
Have you found yourself in legal trouble due to your sexual behavior? Seek assistance before the court mandates it, with Sexual Addiction Treatment Services.
#ACEs #adverseChildhoodExperiences #anxiety #brainImaging #childhoodSexualAbuse #childhoodTrauma #complexTrauma #CSA #depression #diffusionTensorImaging #DTI #emotionalRegulation #executiveFunction #healingAndRecovery #maleSurvivors #menSMentalHealth #mentalHealthEducation #neurobiologyOfTrauma #neuroscience #PTSD #stigma #traumaAndTheBrain #traumaInformedCare #whiteMatter -
Diffusion tensor imaging‐based machine learning for IDH wild‐type glioblastoma stratification to reveal the biological underpinning of radiomic features. https://doi.org/10.1111/cns.14263 #BiologicalPathway #DiffusionTensorImaging #Glioblastoma #MachineLearning #Prognosis
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Mapping genetic influences on the infant brain: A chat with Rebecca Knickmeyer
https://www.spectrumnews.org/opinion/q-and-a/mapping-genetic-influences-on-the-infant-brain-a-chat-with-rebecca-knickmeyer/
#diffusiontensorimaging #genetictesting #brainimaging #autism #GWAS #Q&A #MRI