Abstract #1213

Effect of football position played on brain metabolite concentrations in retired NFL players

Alexander Lin¹, Jeffery K Cooper¹, Molly Charney¹, Huijun Liao¹, Benjamin C Rowland¹, Martha E Shenton², and Robert A Stern³

¹Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States, ²Psychology, Brigham and Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States, ³Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States

Repetitive brain trauma (RBT) from playing American football places athletes at risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). While all confirmed cases of CTE have had exposure to RBT, not all those exposed develop the disease, suggesting the importance of factors such as impact severity in its development. In this study we utilize magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure brain chemistry levels in retired NFL players and compare differences in neurochemistry of different player positions and their related concussion burden. Results show significant changes in glutamate and creatine that provide a potential mode for understanding excitoxic changes as a result of RBT.

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