Meeting Banner
Abstract #0685

Effect of Contact Sports on the Adolescent Brain: A Pilot Study of a Single Football Season Using MR Elastography and Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Xiang Shan1, Matthew C. Murphy1, David B. Soma2, Daniel J. Christoffer3, Yi Sui1, Keni Zheng1, Emi Hojo1, Robert I. Reid1, Armando Manduca4, Richard L. Ehman1, John Huston III1, and Ziying Yin1
1Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States, 2Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States, 3Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States, 4Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States

Synopsis

Keywords: Traumatic Brain Injury, Traumatic brain injury, Repetitive head impacts, Magnetic resonance elastography, Diffusion tensor imaging

Motivation: Subconcussive, repetitive head impacts (RHI) are of concern in contact-sports athletes, particularly in adolescence. The extent to which participation in contact sports involving RHI exposure affects the brain remains unclear.

Goal(s): To explore whether contact-sports exposure results in brain mechanical/microstructural changes in adolescence over a football season.

Approach: Seven football players (ages 12-17) underwent diffusion tensor imaging and MR elastography before and after a football season. Brain changes were evaluated by a voxel-wise analysis.

Results: Post-season showed globally increased stiffness, especially in the left frontal white matter, with no significant changes in strain distribution, fractional anisotropy, or mean diffusivity.

Impact: We observed increased brain stiffness without significant microstructural changes after a football season. These findings motivate further longitudinal studies to understand the dynamic response of adolescent brains in contact sports and emphasize the need for research into long-term effects.

How to access this content:

For one year after publication, abstracts and videos are only open to registrants of this annual meeting. Registrants should use their existing login information. Non-registrant access can be purchased via the ISMRM E-Library.

After one year, current ISMRM & ISMRT members get free access to both the abstracts and videos. Non-members and non-registrants must purchase access via the ISMRM E-Library.

After two years, the meeting proceedings (abstracts) are opened to the public and require no login information. Videos remain behind password for access by members, registrants and E-Library customers.

Click here for more information on becoming a member.

Keywords