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Abstract #3661

Robust Detection of Progressive White Matter Abnormalities in MTBI Using DW-MRI

Il Yong Chun1, Allan Diaz1, Yun-Jang Jin1, Xiaodong Li1, Larry Leverenz2, Eric Nauman3, Thomas Talavage1, 4

1School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States; 23Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States; 3School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States; 4Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States

Building on our study of repetitive blows in contact sports, we introduce a bootstrapped z-score analysis as a robust voxel-wise statistical analysis method to detect deviations from normal white matter fractional anisotropy. With this approach, we evaluate the progression of changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) over time, using DW-MRI scans from pre-season to post-season. These changes provide strong evidence that contact sports athletes, especially American football players, who receive many blows to the head during the season, exhibit likely chronic white matter injuries.

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Keywords

abnormalities abnormally accrued affine ameliorate anisotropy applied assumed asymmetric athletes automated axons behavior biomedical blows bonding bootstrapped brain building characterize characterized chronic clinically complete concussion confidence consistent consistently cont contact control controls crossing damage decreased detect detecting detection deviant deviation deviations diagnosed distribution dramatic early eddy effective effectively electrical engineering entire equestrian evaluate evaluated everyday evidence exhibit exhibited expected experienced falls female fiber football fractional general head health healthy helmet history hits horse identify info injuries injury interval introduce known limited linear long male mechanical memory missed month negative normally noted occasions occur outliers part participation particularly patients perfect performance players pool population positive post potential preceding predictive previous prior problems progress proportional receive registered registration repair repeated repetitive retest robust robustly samples scanned school score season seasons selected session sessions side sport sports statistical stress strong subject suggests sustaining task tendency threshold tracts traumatic typically uniformly west white wide wise