Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute for Quantum Medical Science, Quantum Life and Medical Science Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Chiba, Japan.
Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 26;14(1):7129. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-57383-6.
Cognitive dysfunction, especially memory impairment, is a typical clinical feature of long-term symptoms caused by repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI). The current study aims to investigate the relationship between regional brain atrophy and cognitive impairments in retired athletes with a long history of rmTBI. Overall, 27 retired athletes with a history of rmTBI (18 boxers, 3 kickboxers, 2 wrestlers, and 4 others; rmTBI group) and 23 age/sex-matched healthy participants (control group) were enrolled. MPRAGE on 3 T MRI was acquired and segmented. The TBV and TBV-adjusted regional brain volumes were compared between groups, and the relationship between the neuropsychological test scores and the regional brain volumes were evaluated. Total brain volume (TBV) and regional brain volumes of the mammillary bodies (MBs), hippocampi, amygdalae, thalami, caudate nuclei, and corpus callosum (CC) were estimated using the SPM12 and ITK-SNAP tools. In the rmTBI group, the regional brain volume/TBV ratio (rmTBI vs. control group, Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.05) underwent partial correlation analysis, adjusting for age and sex, to assess its connection with neuropsychological test results. Compared with the control group, the rmTBI group showed significantly lower the MBs volume/TBV ratio (0.13 ± 0.05 vs. 0.19 ± 0.03 × 10, p < 0.001). The MBs volume/TBV ratio correlated with visual memory, as assessed, respectively, by the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure test delayed recall (ρ = 0.62, p < 0.001). In conclusion, retired athletes with rmTBI have MB atrophy, potentially contributing to memory impairment linked to the Papez circuit disconnection.
认知功能障碍，尤其是记忆障碍，是重复轻度创伤性脑损伤（rmTBI）后长期出现的典型临床特征。本研究旨在探究有长期 rmTBI 病史的退役运动员的区域性脑萎缩与认知障碍之间的关系。共纳入 27 名有 rmTBI 病史的退役运动员（18 名拳击手、3 名跆拳道选手、2 名摔跤手和 4 名其他运动员；rmTBI 组）和 23 名年龄/性别匹配的健康参与者（对照组）。在 3T MRI 上采集 MPRAGE 并进行分割。比较两组间的全脑容量（TBV）和 TBV 校正后的区域性脑容量，评估神经心理学测试评分与区域性脑容量之间的关系。采用 SPM12 和 ITK-SNAP 工具来估计总脑容量（TBV）和乳头体（MBs）、海马体、杏仁核、丘脑、尾状核和胼胝体（CC）的区域性脑容量。在 rmTBI 组中，对区域性脑容量/TBV 比值（rmTBI 与对照组，Mann-Whitney U 检验，p < 0.05）进行偏相关分析，校正年龄和性别，以评估其与神经心理学测试结果的关系。与对照组相比，rmTBI 组的 MBs 体积/TBV 比值明显较低（0.13 ± 0.05 比 0.19 ± 0.03 × 10，p < 0.001）。MBs 体积/TBV 比值与视觉记忆呈正相关，分别由 Rey-Osterrieth 复杂图形测试延迟回忆（ρ=0.62，p < 0.001）评估。总之，有 rmTBI 病史的退役运动员存在 MB 萎缩，可能导致与 Papez 回路断开相关的记忆障碍。
