Department of Neurology, University of California, Room 150 Med Surge I, Irvine, CA 92697-4275, United States.
Department of Neurology, University of California, Room 150 Med Surge I, Irvine, CA 92697-4275, United States; Department of Psychology, California State Polytechnic University, 3801 West Temple Avenue, Pomona, CA 91768, United States.
Neuroimage. 2020 Dec;223:117306. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117306. Epub 2020 Aug 28.
Repetitive head impacts represent a risk factor for neurological impairment in team-sport athletes. In the absence of symptoms, a physiological basis for acute injury has not been elucidated. A basic brain function that is disrupted after mild traumatic brain injury is the regulation of homeostasis, instantiated by activity across a specific set of brain regions that comprise a central autonomic network. We sought to relate head-to-ball impact exposure to changes in functional connectivity in a core set of central autonomic regions and then to determine the relation between changes in brain and changes in behavior, specifically cognitive control. Thirteen collegiate men's soccer players and eleven control athletes (golf, cross-country) underwent resting-state fMRI and behavioral testing before and after the season, and a core group of cortical, subcortical, and brainstem regions was selected to represent the central autonomic network. Head-to-ball impacts were recorded for each soccer player. Cognitive control was assessed using a Dot Probe Expectancy task. We observed that head-to-ball impact exposure was associated with diffuse increases in functional connectivity across a core CAN subnetwork. Increased functional connectivity between the left insula and left medial orbitofrontal cortex was associated with diminished proactive cognitive control after the season in those sustaining the greatest number of head-to-ball impacts. These findings encourage measures of autonomic physiology to monitor brain health in contact and collision sport athletes.
重复性头部撞击是团队运动运动员神经损伤的一个风险因素。在没有症状的情况下，急性损伤的生理基础尚未阐明。轻度创伤性脑损伤后被破坏的基本大脑功能是体内平衡的调节，由构成中枢自主网络的一组特定脑区的活动体现。我们试图将头部与球的撞击暴露与核心自主区域集中的功能连接变化相关联，然后确定大脑变化与行为变化（特别是认知控制）之间的关系。13 名大学生男子足球运动员和 11 名对照运动员（高尔夫、越野）在赛季前后进行了静息状态 fMRI 和行为测试，选择了一组核心的皮质、皮质下和脑干区域来代表中枢自主网络。为每个足球运动员记录了头部与球的撞击。使用点探测期望任务评估认知控制。我们观察到，头部与球的撞击暴露与核心 CAN 子网中功能连接的弥漫性增加有关。在赛季后，那些承受最多头部与球撞击的人，左脑岛和左内侧眶额皮质之间的功能连接增加与主动认知控制能力下降有关。这些发现鼓励测量自主生理来监测接触和碰撞运动运动员的大脑健康。
