Citation

Meier T, Lancaster M, Mayer A, Teague TK, Savitz J. J. Neurotrauma 2016; 34(4): 824-837.

Affiliation

Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 74136, Oklahoma, United States ; jsavitz@laureateinstitute.org.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2016.4599

PMID

27618518

Abstract

There is a great need to identify potential long-term consequences of contact-sport exposure and to identify molecular pathways that may be associated with these changes. We tested the hypothesis that football players with (Ath-mTBI; n=25) and without a concussion history (Ath; n=24) have altered resting state functional connectivity in regions with previously documented structural changes relative to healthy controls without football or concussion history (HC; n=27). As a secondary aim, we tested the hypothesis that group differences in functional connectivity are moderated by the relative ratio of neuroprotective to neurotoxic metabolites of the kynurenine pathway. Ath-mTBI had significantly increased connectivity of motor cortex to the supplementary motor area relative to Ath and HC. In contrast, both Ath-mTBI and Ath had increased connectivity between the left orbital frontal cortex and the right lateral frontal cortex, and between the left cornu ammonis 2-3/dentate gyrus (CA2-3/DG) of the hippocampus and the middle and posterior cingulate cortices relative to HC. The relationship between the ratio of plasma concentrations of kynurenic acid to quinolinic acid (KYNA/QUIN) and left pregenual anterior cingulate cortex connectivity to multiple regions as well as KYNA/QUIN and right CA2-3/DG connectivity to multiple regions differed significantly according to football and concussion history. The results suggest that football exposure with and without concussion history can have a significant effect on intrinsic brain connectivity and implicate the kynurenine metabolic pathway as one potential moderator of functional connectivity dependent on football exposure and concussion history.


Keywords: American football;

Language: en