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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

quantitative MRI analysis, cingulate gyrus corpus callosum, carbon monoxide poisoning

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Carbon monoxide (CO) exposure is the most common cause of poisoning death in the United States.1 The cellular damage due to CO poisoning is observed in organ systems with high oxygen utilization such as the cardiovascular system and central nervous system. Neuropathological changes that occur due to CO exposure result from a number of biological mechanisms and underlie the development of neuroanatomical abnormalities that occur following CO poisoning.2 Neuroanatomical changes following CO poisoning can be seen using a variety of neuroimaging techniques, including, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Quantitative MRI (QMRI), and Computed Tomography (CT). Findings include fornix atrophy, increased ventricle-to-brain ratio, hippocampal atrophy, cortical atrophy and abnormalities of the basal ganglia, periventricular and subcortical white matter.1, 3, 4 Given that CO results in a variety of neuroanatomical changes, we were interested in whether atrophic changes occur in other brain structures following CO exposure. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of CO poisoning on the brain by using QMRI analysis to measure the cross-sectional surface area of the cingulate gyrus (CG), corpus callosum (CC) and thalamus (Thal). We hypothesized that CO poisoning would result in atrophy of these brain structures.

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