Meeting Banner
Abstract #3783

White matter microstructural maturation in adolescent American Football athletes is affected by history of sport-participation and concussion

Yukai Zou1,2, Ikbeom Jang3, Nicole Vike2,4, Diana Svaldi1, Larry Leverenz5, Eric Nauman4,6, Thomas Talavage1,3, and Joseph Rispoli1,3

1Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States, 2College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States, 3Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States, 4Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States, 5Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States, 6Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States

Concussion is a biomechanically induced brain injury that causes mental health concern for adolescent collision-sport athletes, whose brains are still developing and maturing. These athletes normally continue participating in collision events, regardless of history of concussion and risk for future concussion. Using diffusion tensor imaging, we investigated 93 asymptomatic adolescent athletes who participate in high school American Football. Per developmental expectations, we typically observed increasing fractional anisotropy or decreasing mean diffusivity with increasing years of high school experience, but prior history of concussion reversed this trend in a number of brain regions.

This abstract and the presentation materials are available to members only; a login is required.

Join Here