Stamm Julie M, Koerte Inga K, Muehlmann Marc, Pasternak Ofer, Bourlas Alexandra P, Baugh Christine M, Giwerc Michelle Y, Zhu Anni, Coleman Michael J, Bouix Sylvain, Fritts Nathan G, Martin Brett M, Chaisson Christine, McClean Michael D, Lin Alexander P, Cantu Robert C, Tripodis Yorghos, Stern Robert A, Shenton Martha E
1 CTE Center, Boston University School of Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts.
2 Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts.
J Neurotrauma. 2015 Nov 15;32(22):1768-76. doi: 10.1089/neu.2014.3822. Epub 2015 Sep 23.
Youth football players may incur hundreds of repetitive head impacts (RHI) in one season. Our recent research suggests that exposure to RHI during a critical neurodevelopmental period prior to age 12 may lead to greater later-life mood, behavioral, and cognitive impairments. Here, we examine the relationship between age of first exposure (AFE) to RHI through tackle football and later-life corpus callosum (CC) microstructure using magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Forty retired National Football League (NFL) players, ages 40-65, were matched by age and divided into two groups based on their AFE to tackle football: before age 12 or at age 12 or older. Participants underwent DTI on a 3 Tesla Siemens (TIM-Verio) magnet. The whole CC and five subregions were defined and seeded using deterministic tractography. Dependent measures were fractional anisotropy (FA), trace, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity. Results showed that former NFL players in the AFE <12 group had significantly lower FA in anterior three CC regions and higher radial diffusivity in the most anterior CC region than those in the AFE ≥12 group. This is the first study to find a relationship between AFE to RHI and later-life CC microstructure. These results suggest that incurring RHI during critical periods of CC development may disrupt neurodevelopmental processes, including myelination, resulting in altered CC microstructure.
青少年足球运动员在一个赛季中可能会遭受数百次重复性头部撞击(RHI)。我们最近的研究表明,在12岁之前的关键神经发育阶段暴露于RHI可能会导致日后出现更大程度的情绪、行为和认知障碍。在此,我们使用磁共振扩散张量成像(DTI)研究通过橄榄球运动首次暴露于RHI的年龄(AFE)与晚年胼胝体(CC)微观结构之间的关系。40名年龄在40 - 65岁之间的退役美国国家橄榄球联盟(NFL)球员按年龄匹配,并根据他们首次通过橄榄球运动暴露于RHI的年龄分为两组:12岁之前或12岁及以后。参与者在一台3特斯拉西门子(TIM-Verio)磁体上接受DTI检查。使用确定性纤维束成像定义并标注了整个CC和五个子区域。相关测量指标包括分数各向异性(FA)、迹值、轴向扩散率和径向扩散率。结果显示,AFE <12组的前NFL球员在前三个CC区域的FA显著低于AFE≥12组,且在最靠前的CC区域径向扩散率更高。这是第一项发现AFE与RHI和晚年CC微观结构之间存在关联的研究。这些结果表明,在CC发育的关键时期遭受RHI可能会扰乱包括髓鞘形成在内的神经发育过程,从而导致CC微观结构改变。