Repetitive head impacts (RHI) in contact sports are known to be associated with altered brain structure and increased concussion susceptibility. Here, MR elastography-based assessment of skull-brain mechanical coupling was used as a new biomarker to assess the RHI-related injury. With novel MRE techniques to directly measure skull-brain displacement, this study aimed to determine the repeatability of MRE-measured mechanical coupling parameters and to assess their changes in RHI subjects. Results demonstrate good repeatability and show preliminary evidence that rotational transmission is significantly higher in RHI group, presumably due to the degradation of the damping capabilities of the protective pia-arachnoid complex following RHI.
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