Young Football Players May Develop White Matter Changes without Concussion
By MedImaging International staff writers Posted on 03 Nov 2016 |
Image: The MR images are of the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus before and after the football-playing season (Photo courtesy of RSNA).
New research shows that young American football players may suffer from changes in the white matter of their brain despite the fact that they were not diagnosed with concussion.
The changes in the youth football players’ brains may even develop during only one season. The researchers also found a significant relationship between the white matter changes and the exposure of the players to head impacts.
The results of the study were published online in October 2016 in the journal Radiology. The researchers studied 25 male football players eight to 13 years of age, and recorded head impact data using the Head Impact Telemetry System (HITs). The participants were tested using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Diffusion-Tensor Imaging (DTI) and other multimodal neuroimaging scans to find microstructural changes in the white matter of the brain. The researchers showed that there was a significant relationship between head impacts and decreased Fractional Anisotropy FA in the tissue where white and gray matters meet. None of the players had any symptoms, or signs of concussion.
Lead author of the study, Christopher T. Whitlow, MD, PhD, MHA, Wake Forest School of Medicine (Winston-Salem, NC, USA), said, "Most investigators believe that concussions are bad for the brain, but what about the hundreds of head impacts during a season of football that don't lead to a clinically diagnosed concussion? We wanted to see if cumulative sub-concussive head impacts have any effects on the developing brain. We found that these young players who experienced more cumulative head impact exposure had more changes in brain white matter, specifically decreased FA, in specific parts of the brain. These decreases in FA caught our attention, because similar changes in FA have been reported in the setting of mild TBI."
Related Links:
Wake Forest School of Medicine
The changes in the youth football players’ brains may even develop during only one season. The researchers also found a significant relationship between the white matter changes and the exposure of the players to head impacts.
The results of the study were published online in October 2016 in the journal Radiology. The researchers studied 25 male football players eight to 13 years of age, and recorded head impact data using the Head Impact Telemetry System (HITs). The participants were tested using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Diffusion-Tensor Imaging (DTI) and other multimodal neuroimaging scans to find microstructural changes in the white matter of the brain. The researchers showed that there was a significant relationship between head impacts and decreased Fractional Anisotropy FA in the tissue where white and gray matters meet. None of the players had any symptoms, or signs of concussion.
Lead author of the study, Christopher T. Whitlow, MD, PhD, MHA, Wake Forest School of Medicine (Winston-Salem, NC, USA), said, "Most investigators believe that concussions are bad for the brain, but what about the hundreds of head impacts during a season of football that don't lead to a clinically diagnosed concussion? We wanted to see if cumulative sub-concussive head impacts have any effects on the developing brain. We found that these young players who experienced more cumulative head impact exposure had more changes in brain white matter, specifically decreased FA, in specific parts of the brain. These decreases in FA caught our attention, because similar changes in FA have been reported in the setting of mild TBI."
Related Links:
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Latest MRI News
- Combining MRI with PSA Testing Improves Clinical Outcomes for Prostate Cancer Patients
- PET/MRI Improves Diagnostic Accuracy for Prostate Cancer Patients
- Next Generation MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Ushers In Future of Incisionless Neurosurgery
- Two-Part MRI Scan Detects Prostate Cancer More Quickly without Compromising Diagnostic Quality
- World’s Most Powerful MRI Machine Images Living Brain with Unrivaled Clarity
- New Whole-Body Imaging Technology Makes It Possible to View Inflammation on MRI Scan
- Combining Prostate MRI with Blood Test Can Avoid Unnecessary Prostate Biopsies
- New Treatment Combines MRI and Ultrasound to Control Prostate Cancer without Serious Side Effects
- MRI Improves Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer
- Combined PET-MRI Scan Improves Treatment for Early Breast Cancer Patients
- 4D MRI Could Improve Clinical Assessment of Heart Blood Flow Abnormalities
- MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Therapy Shows Promise in Treating Prostate Cancer
- AI-Based MRI Tool Outperforms Current Brain Tumor Diagnosis Methods
- DW-MRI Lights up Small Ovarian Lesions like Light Bulbs
- Abbreviated Breast MRI Effective for High-Risk Screening without Compromising Diagnostic Accuracy
- New MRI Method Detects Alzheimer’s Earlier in People without Clinical Signs