- Acceleration, deceleration, and rotational forces cause diffuse axonal injury (DAI).
- It is characterized by widespread shearing and retraction of axons during traumatic brain injury (TBI).
- DAI often results in coma and is associated with poor prognosis.
- In addition to cortical white matter injury, it often also involves the corpus callosum, basal ganglia, brainstem, and cerebellum.