Reduced Cortical Excitability is Associated with Cognitive Symptoms in Concussed Adolescent Football Players.

American tackle football is associated with high rates of concussion, leading to neurophysiological disturbances and debilitating clinical symptoms. Previous investigations of the neurophysiological effects of concussion have largely ignored aperiodic neurophysiological activity. We examined whether concussion during a season of high school football is related to changes in aperiodic and periodic neurophysiological activity and whether any such changes are associated with clinical outcomes. Pre- and post-season resting-state MEG data were collected from 91 high school football players, of whom 10 were diagnosed with concussion. Data were source-imaged, frequency-transformed and parameterized, and linear mixed models were used to examine effects of concussion on pre-to-post-season changes in neurophysiological activity. Scores on the Post-Concussive Symptom Inventory were correlated with pre-to-post-season neurophysiological changes to determine their clinical relevance. Concussion was associated with increased aperiodic exponents in superior frontal cortices, indicating a relative reduction in cortical excitability. This slowing of aperiodic neurophysiology mediated concussion effects on raw delta and gamma power and was associated with worse cognitive concerns across participants. Pre-to-post-season changes in aperiodic-corrected alpha and theta rhythmic activity were also decreased in posterior cortices in instances of concussion. These findings indicate that concussion alters both the excitability and rhythmic signaling of the cortex, with differing spatial topographies and implications for clinical symptoms.