Alosco Michael L, Koerte Inga K, Tripodis Yorghos, Mariani Megan, Chua Alicia S, Jarnagin Johnny, Rahimpour Yashar, Puzo Christian, Healy Rose C, Martin Brett, Chaisson Christine E, Cantu Robert C, Au Rhoda, McClean Michael, McKee Ann C, Lin Alexander P, Shenton Martha E, Killiany Ronald J, Stern Robert A
Boston University Alzheimer's Disease and CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2017 Nov 6;10:56-65. doi: 10.1016/j.dadm.2017.10.003. eCollection 2018.
Later-life brain alterations in former tackle football players are poorly understood, particularly regarding their relationship with repetitive head impacts (RHIs) and clinical function. We examined white matter signal abnormalities (WMSAs) and their association with RHIs and clinical function in former National Football League (NFL) players.
Eighty-six clinically symptomatic former NFL players and 23 same-age reportedly asymptomatic controls without head trauma exposure underwent magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological testing. FreeSurfer calculated WMSAs. A cumulative head impact index quantified RHIs.
In former NFL players, increased volume of WMSAs was associated with higher cumulative head impact index scores ( = .043) and worse psychomotor speed and executive function ( = .015). Although former NFL players had greater WMSA volume than controls ( = .046), these findings are inconclusive due to recruitment of controls based on lack of clinical symptoms and head trauma exposure.
In former NFL players, WMSAs may reflect long-term microvascular and nonmicrovascular pathologies from RHIs that negatively impact cognition.
人们对前美式橄榄球运动员晚年大脑变化的了解甚少，尤其是这些变化与重复性头部撞击（RHI）及临床功能之间的关系。我们研究了前美国国家橄榄球联盟（NFL）球员的白质信号异常（WMSA）及其与RHI和临床功能的关联。
86名有临床症状的前NFL球员和23名据报道无头部外伤暴露的同龄无症状对照者接受了磁共振成像和神经心理学测试。FreeSurfer计算WMSA。累积头部撞击指数对RHI进行量化。
在前NFL球员中，WMSA体积增加与累积头部撞击指数得分较高（P = 0.043）以及心理运动速度和执行功能较差（P = 0.015）相关。尽管前NFL球员的WMSA体积比对照者更大（P = 0.046），但由于对照者是基于缺乏临床症状和头部外伤暴露招募的，这些发现尚无定论。
在前NFL球员中，WMSA可能反映了RHI导致的长期微血管和非微血管病变，这些病变对认知产生负面影响。
