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Abstract #2346

Proximal and Distal Effects of Subconcussive Head Impacts on fMRI Activity in Asymptomatic High School Football Players

Meghan Robinson1, 2, Evan Breedlove3, Victoria N. Poole2, 4, Larry Leverenz5, Eric Nauman3, 4, Thomas Talavage, 26

1Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States; 2Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States; 3Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States; 4Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States; 5Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States; 6Electrical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States

We investigated the effects of subconcussive head trauma in a cohort of asymptomatic high school football players. Head impacts were measured via accelerometers in players helmets. Changes from pre-season to in-season in fMRI activations during two working memory tasks were measured. These changes were compared to the hit history (number and location of the hits) of the players through a stepwise regression. We found that hits were likely to produce negative correlations in proximal regions and positive correlations in distal regions. This result was consistent across two task types (visual and verbal) and two contrasts.

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Keywords

absence accelerometers activation activity addition affected anterior apparent assess assigned asymptomatic attributed back basic biomedical blows brain characterize cohort color colored completed concussion confirming contrast contrasts contributions correlated correlation correlations coup cumulative deficits defined designs diagnosis difficulty disorders distal electrical engineering exhibited experienced football front greatest half halves head health helmet helmets history hits impacts injuries installed isotropic letters linear literature local location locations male mapping measured mechanical medical metabolism model negative neurons noticeable participated player players positive posterior press prevalent previous prior proximal quantified regional regression regressions relationship repetitive scanner school schools sciences scores season session sessions side significance slices slope solely start stepwise stimuli strength stress structure structures subject success suggest suggests summations symptoms system table task tasks tracts translational trauma treated trial true type types units unlikely vectors verbal visual volume week west