The relationship between brain atrophy and cognitive-behavioural symptoms in retired Canadian football players with multiple concussions

Karen Misquitta; Mahsa Dadar; Apameh Tarazi; Mohammed W. Hussain; Mohammed K. Alatwi; Ahmed Ebraheem; Namita Multani; Mozhgan Khodadadi; Ruma Goswami; Richard Wennberg; Charles Tator; Robin Green; Brenda Colella; Karen Deborah Davis; David Mikulis; Mark Grinberg; Christine Sato; Ekaterina Rogaeva; D. Louis Collins; Maria Carmela Tartaglia

NeuroImage: Clinical (Jan 2018)

The relationship between brain atrophy and cognitive-behavioural symptoms in retired Canadian football players with multiple concussions

Karen Misquitta,
Mahsa Dadar,
Apameh Tarazi,
Mohammed W. Hussain,
Mohammed K. Alatwi,
Ahmed Ebraheem,
Namita Multani,
Mozhgan Khodadadi,
Ruma Goswami,
Richard Wennberg,
Charles Tator,
Robin Green,
Brenda Colella,
Karen Deborah Davis,
David Mikulis,
Mark Grinberg,
Christine Sato,
Ekaterina Rogaeva,
D. Louis Collins,
Maria Carmela Tartaglia

Affiliations

Karen Misquitta: Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Krembil Discovery Tower, 60 Leonard Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
Mahsa Dadar: McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, 3801 Rue Universite, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
Apameh Tarazi: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
Mohammed W. Hussain: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
Mohammed K. Alatwi: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
Ahmed Ebraheem: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
Namita Multani: Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Krembil Discovery Tower, 60 Leonard Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada; Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
Mozhgan Khodadadi: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
Ruma Goswami: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour-Systems Neuroscience, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
Richard Wennberg: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
Charles Tator: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Division of Neurosurgery, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
Robin Green: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Ave., Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
Brenda Colella: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Ave., Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada
Karen Deborah Davis: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour-Systems Neuroscience, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
David Mikulis: Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
Mark Grinberg: Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Krembil Discovery Tower, 60 Leonard Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
Christine Sato: Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Krembil Discovery Tower, 60 Leonard Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
Ekaterina Rogaeva: Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Krembil Discovery Tower, 60 Leonard Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
D. Louis Collins: McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, 3801 Rue Universite, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
Maria Carmela Tartaglia: Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Krembil Discovery Tower, 60 Leonard Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada; Canadian Concussion Center, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Corresponding author at: Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Krembil Discovery Tower, 60 Leonard Avenue, 6th floor 6KD-407, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 19
pp. 551 – 558

Abstract

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Multiple concussions, particularly in contact sports, have been associated with cognitive deficits, psychiatric impairment and neurodegenerative diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy. We used volumetric and deformation-based morphometric analyses to test the hypothesis that repeated concussions may be associated with smaller regional brain volumes, poorer cognitive performance and behavioural symptoms among former professional football players compared to healthy controls. This study included fifty-three retired Canadian Football League players, 25 age- and education-matched healthy controls, and controls from the Cambridge Centre for Aging and Neuroscience database for validation. Volumetric analyses revealed greater hippocampal atrophy than expected for age in former athletes with multiple concussions than controls and smaller left hippocampal volume was associated with poorer verbal memory performance in the former athletes. Deformation-based morphometry confirmed smaller bilateral hippocampal volume that was associated with poorer verbal memory performance in athletes. Repeated concussions may lead to greater regional atrophy than expected for age. Keywords: Sport-related concussion, Mild traumatic brain injury, Deformation based morphometry, Aging

Published in NeuroImage: Clinical

ISSN: 2213-1582 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General): Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics; Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry: Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/neuroimage-clinical/

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