Department of Neuroradiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
National Training Center for Boxing, Heidelberg, Germany.
Clin Neuroradiol. 2023 Jun;33(2):475-482. doi: 10.1007/s00062-022-01233-3. Epub 2022 Dec 16.
Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) sustained during contact sports like amateur boxing are found to have long-term sequelae, being linked to an increased risk of developing neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease. The aim of this study was to assess differences in volume of anatomical brain structures between amateur boxers and control subjects with a special interest in the affection of deep grey matter structures.
A total of 19 amateur boxers and 19 healthy controls (HC), matched for age and intelligence quotient (IQ), underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as well as neuropsychological testing. Body mass index (BMI) was evaluated for every subject and data about years of boxing training and number of fights were collected for each boxer. The acquired 3D high resolution T1 weighted MR images were analyzed to measure the volumes of cortical grey matter (GM), white matter (WM), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and deep grey matter structures. Multivariate analysis was applied to reveal differences between groups referencing deep grey matter structures to normalized brain volume (NBV) to adjust for differences in head size and brain volume as well as adding BMI as cofactor.
Total intracranial volume (TIV), comprising GM, WM and CSF, was lower in boxers compared to controls (by 7.1%, P = 0.009). Accordingly, GM (by 5.5%, P = 0.038) and WM (by 8.4%, P = 0.009) were reduced in boxers. Deep grey matter showed statistically lower volumes of the thalamus (by 8.1%, P = 0.006), caudate nucleus (by 11.1%, P = 0.004), putamen (by 8.1%, P = 0.011), globus pallidus (by 9.6%, P = 0.017) and nucleus accumbens (by 13.9%, P = 0.007) but not the amygdala (by 5.5%, P = 0.221), in boxers compared to HC.
Several deep grey matter structures were reduced in volume in the amateur boxer group. Furthermore, longitudinal studies are needed to determine the damage pattern affecting deep grey matter structures and its neuropsychological relevance.
在诸如业余拳击等接触性运动中发生的轻度创伤性脑损伤（mTBI）会产生长期的后果，与帕金森病等神经疾病的风险增加有关。本研究的目的是评估业余拳击手与对照组之间解剖大脑结构体积的差异，特别关注深部灰质结构的影响。
共有 19 名业余拳击手和 19 名健康对照组（HC），年龄和智商（IQ）匹配，接受 3T 磁共振成像（MRI）和神经心理学测试。对每位受试者进行体重指数（BMI）评估，并为每位拳击手收集拳击训练年限和比赛次数的数据。分析获得的 3D 高分辨率 T1 加权 MRI 图像，以测量皮质灰质（GM）、白质（WM）、脑脊液（CSF）和深部灰质结构的体积。应用多元分析方法，通过参考深部灰质结构相对于正常化脑体积（NBV）来揭示组间差异，以调整头部大小和脑体积的差异，并添加 BMI 作为协变量。
与对照组相比，拳击手的总颅内体积（TIV），包括 GM、WM 和 CSF，降低了 7.1%（P=0.009）。相应地，GM（降低 5.5%，P=0.038）和 WM（降低 8.4%，P=0.009）在拳击手中减少。深部灰质结构的丘脑（降低 8.1%，P=0.006）、尾状核（降低 11.1%，P=0.004）、壳核（降低 8.1%，P=0.011）、苍白球（降低 9.6%，P=0.017）和伏隔核（降低 13.9%，P=0.007）体积明显降低，但杏仁核（降低 5.5%，P=0.221）体积没有降低。
在业余拳击手组中，几个深部灰质结构的体积减少。此外，需要进行纵向研究来确定影响深部灰质结构的损伤模式及其神经心理学相关性。
