1. Sex differences in white matter alterations following repetitive subconcussive head impacts in collegiate ice hockey players
- Author
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David Kaufmann, Yorghos Tripodis, Paul S. Echlin, Petra V. Viher, Andrew M. Johnson, Philipp Kinzel, Elisabeth Hartl, Sylvain Bouix, Martha E. Shenton, Amanda E. Lyall, Alexander P. Lin, Lorie A. Forwell, Christian Lepage, Elaine N. Skopelja, Inga K. Koerte, Nico Sollmann, Vivian Schultz, and Ofer Pasternak
- Subjects
Male ,Internal capsule ,LH, left hemisphere ,Poison control ,Audiology ,lcsh:RC346-429 ,CR, corona radiata ,NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association ,Traumatic brain injury ,0302 clinical medicine ,EC, external capsule ,SLF, superior longitudinal fasciculus ,Concussion ,FA, fractional anisotropy ,Sex Characteristics ,White matter ,Superior longitudinal fasciculus ,Regular Article ,CIS, Canadian Interuniversity Sports ,RD, radial diffusivity ,rs, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient ,Diffusion tensor imaging ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Neurology ,RH, right hemisphere ,lcsh:R858-859.7 ,Female ,IC, internal capsule ,AD, axial diffusivity ,ImPACT, Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Ice hockey ,Cognitive Neuroscience ,lcsh:Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics ,TBI, traumatic brain injury ,Young Adult ,03 medical and health sciences ,dMRI, diffusion magnetic resonance imaging ,Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ,Fractional anisotropy ,medicine ,Humans ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,WM, white matter ,lcsh:Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system ,Brain Concussion ,MD, mean diffusivity ,HCEP, Hockey Concussion Education Project ,business.industry ,030229 sport sciences ,Sex difference ,medicine.disease ,RSHI, repetitive subconcussive head impacts ,TBSS, tract-based spatial statistics ,Hockey ,Neurology (clinical) ,SD, standard deviation ,Repetitive subconcussive head impacts ,business ,MRI, magnetic resonance imaging ,human activities ,Neurocognitive ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Objective Repetitive subconcussive head impacts (RSHI) may lead to structural, functional, and metabolic alterations of the brain. While differences between males and females have already been suggested following a concussion, whether there are sex differences following exposure to RSHI remains unknown. The aim of this study was to identify and to characterize sex differences following exposure to RSHI. Methods Twenty-five collegiate ice hockey players (14 males and 11 females, 20.6 ± 2.0 years), all part of the Hockey Concussion Education Project (HCEP), underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) before and after the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) ice hockey season 2011–2012 and did not experience a concussion during the season. Whole-brain tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were used to compare pre- and postseason imaging in both sexes for fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). Pre- and postseason neurocognitive performance were assessed by the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT). Results Significant differences between the sexes were primarily located within the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), the internal capsule (IC), and the corona radiata (CR) of the right hemisphere (RH). In significant voxel clusters (p, Highlights • This study explores sex differences following repetitive subconcussive head impacts. • Decreases in FA were observed in females over the course of one ice hockey season. • Females also showed increases in MD, AD, and RD over the course of the season. • In contrast, males showed no significant changes in these diffusion measures. • The results suggest sex differences in structural alterations following subconcussion.
- Published
- 2018
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