Feng Shi1,2,
Pew-Thian Yap1,2, J. Keith Smith1, Kelly S. Giovanello3,4,
Candice Goerger5,6, Weili Lin1,2, Kevin M. Guskiewicz5,7,
Dinggang Shen1,2
1Department of Radiology,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 2Biomedical
Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 3Department
of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 4Biomedical
Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill, NC, USA;
5Department of Exercise & Sport Science, Orthopedics,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 6Center for
the Study of Retired Athletes, University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill,
NC, USA; 7Center for the Study of Retired Athletes, University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Recurrent concussions in contact sports may cause delayed brain damages that affect retired athletes. In this study, we recruited 34 retired NFL players and 20 matched controls to investigate the brain circuitry changes in relation to their functional deficits. White matter fibers were tracked and connections between brain regions were taken as a graph of brain network. Results show that although the brain network of players has small-world topology, they have significantly lower network efficiency and longer path length. Meanwhile, fiber connections involved in the frontal regions are severely affected, which may be related with their impaired brain function.