Abstract #0300

The Rugby Connectome: A Longitudinal Analysis of Structural Connectivity in an Adolescent Cohort with Repeated Head Impacts

Edward John Clarkson^1,2, Maryam Tayebi^1,2, William S. Schierding^2,3,4, Paul Condron², Leigh Potter², Jerome Maller⁵, Miao Qiao⁶, Justin Fernandez¹, Samantha Holdsworth^2,7, Eryn E. Kwon^1,2,7, Joshua P. McGeown^2,7, and Vickie Shim^1,2

¹Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, ²Mātai Medical Research Institute, Tairāwhiti-Gisborne, New Zealand, ³Department of Ophthalmology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, ⁴Vision Research Foundation, Auckland, New Zealand, ⁵General Electric Healthcare, Victoria, Australia, ⁶School of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, ⁷Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences & Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Synopsis

Keywords: Structural Connectivity, Adolescents

Motivation: Evidence suggests that repeated head impacts which do not produce conscious changes in cognition, may have detrimental effects on neurological function and brain micro-structure.

Goal(s): Our study aims to quantify longitudinal changes in structural connectivity within a cohort of young rugby players throughout a rugby season.

Approach: Using head impact data and advanced MRI techniques including whole brain tractography from multi-shell diffusion MRI, structural connectivity adjacency matrices were derived from tractograms and analyzed using graph theory.

Results: Global clustering coefficient increased significantly from preseason to mid-season and post-season. These changes correlated with measures of cumulative head impact exposure.

Impact: Data from our adolescent rugby cohort offers a rare opportunity to document the longitudinal effect of repeated head impact exposure on structural connectivity. The structural connectivity changes we observed may not be indicative of clinically relevant brain injury.

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