Jonathan Dudley1, Weihong Yuan1,2, Jed Diekfuss1,3, Kim D Barber Foss1,3, Christopher A DiCesare1,3, Mekibib Altaye1, Kelsey Logan1, James L Leach4, Gregory D Myer1,2,3,5. 1. Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. 2. Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. 3. The SPORT Center, Division of Sports Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. 4. Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati Ohio, USA. 5. The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract
Background: Characterization of, and evaluation of strategies to mitigate, the effects of sub-concussive impacts (SCI) on brain structure and function are crucial to understanding potential long-term neurological risks associated with sports participation. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of a jugular vein compression collar for preserving functional and structural measures of brain network organization in a cohort of female high school soccer players throughout a season of competitive play. Methods: Athletes were assigned to a collar (N = 72) or non-collar (N = 56) group before engaging in a season of play, during which head impact data were recorded via accelerometer for every practice and competition. Participants completed neuroimaging sessions before and following the season. A graph theoretical framework was applied to the functional and structural connectivity measures computed from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data. Results: Non-collar-wearing athletes exhibited significantly increased rs-fMRI-derived global clustering coefficients (p = 0.032) and DTI-derived modularity (p = 0.042), compared to collar-wearing athletes. No longitudinal changes in any graph measures were observed for the collar group (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The observed increase in graph measures in the non-collar group is congruent with previous studies of SCI and is similar to graph theoretical studies of traumatic brain injury. The absence of alterations in graph metrics in the collar group indicates a potential ameliorating effect of the collar device against network reorganization, in line with previous literature.
Background: Characterization of, and evaluation of strategies to mitigate, the effects of sub-concussive impacts (SCI) on brain structure and function are crucial to understanding potential long-term neurological risks associated with sports participation. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of a jugular vein compression collar for preserving functional and structural measures of brain network organization in a cohort of female high school soccer players throughout a season of competitive play. Methods: Athletes were assigned to a collar (N = 72) or non-collar (N = 56) group before engaging in a season of play, during which head impact data were recorded via accelerometer for every practice and competition. Participants completed neuroimaging sessions before and following the season. A graph theoretical framework was applied to the functional and structural connectivity measures computed from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data. Results: Non-collar-wearing athletes exhibited significantly increased rs-fMRI-derived global clustering coefficients (p = 0.032) and DTI-derived modularity (p = 0.042), compared to collar-wearing athletes. No longitudinal changes in any graph measures were observed for the collar group (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The observed increase in graph measures in the non-collar group is congruent with previous studies of SCI and is similar to graph theoretical studies of traumatic brain injury. The absence of alterations in graph metrics in the collar group indicates a potential ameliorating effect of the collar device against network reorganization, in line with previous literature.
Authors: Jonathan A Dudley; Alexis B Slutsky-Ganesh; Jed A Diekfuss; Jason M Avedesian; Weihong Yuan; Christopher A DiCesare; Brynne Williams; William P Meehan; Destin Hill; Matthew B Panzer; John D DesJardins; Gregory D Myer Journal: Ann Biomed Eng Date: 2022-07-22 Impact factor: 4.219
Authors: Jed A Diekfuss; Weihong Yuan; Jonathan A Dudley; Christopher A DiCesare; Matthew B Panzer; Thomas M Talavage; Eric Nauman; Scott Bonnette; Alexis B Slutsky-Ganesh; Joseph Clark; Manish Anand; Mekibib Altaye; James L Leach; Joseph D Lamplot; Marc Galloway; Mathew W Pombo; Kyle E Hammond; Gregory D Myer Journal: Ann Biomed Eng Date: 2021-09-28 Impact factor: 3.934