White Matter Integrity in the Brains of Professional Soccer Players Without a Symptomatic Concussion

Age at First Exposure to Football Is Associated with Altered Corpus Callosum White Matter Microstructure in Former Professional Football Players

“…One study found an association between duration of play and presence and severity of CTE neuropathology, 8 while other studies found no effect of this variable on later-life mood, behavior, and cognitive functioning 18,19 or diffusivity measures. 5 More research is needed to elucidate the relationship between duration of football and later-life brain structure, function, and neurodegeneration, and on the interaction effects of total duration of play and initial age of play on later life changes. …”

“…1 In addition to concussive injuries, recent evidence indicates that sustaining repetitive subconcussive head impacts through sports participation may result in long-term consequences, including behavioral symptoms, 2,3 cognitive impairment, 4 brain structure alterations, 5 and neurodegenerative diseases, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). [6][7][8][9][10] Neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies have identified structural and functional abnormalities in former contact sport athletes many years after they stopped playing.…”

“…47 . Recent research using DTI, 5,[48][49][50][51] as well as other imaging modalities, 52-55 also revealed altered brain structure and connectivity following prolonged exposure to RHI. Further, several studies report altered diffusivity following just one season of football 48,49,51 and ice hockey 50 play, when comparing preseason and post-season DTI measures.…”

“…26,[56][57][58][59][60] Studies also report CC microstructural damage following prolonged exposure to RHI in football, 49 hockey, 50 and soccer players. 5 Further, several neuroimaging studies in children demonstrate disrupted CC development following TBI of varying severity. 26,[60][61][62][63] Key aspects of CC development, including high rates of myelination and axonal growth, occur between ages 8-12.…”

Mind the gaps—advancing research into short-term and long-term neuropsychological outcomes of youth sports-related concussions

“…Compared with swimmers, male professional soccer players showed DTI signal changes suggestive of decreased white matter integrity in several brain regions, which might indicate loss of axonal myelination, similar to changes seen in individuals with mTBI. 53 Collegiate ice hockey players exhibited similar white matter changes over the course of a season. [54][55][56][57] In addition, repetitive subconcussive head impacts in collegiate American football players have been linked, in a dose-dependent manner, to deficits in BBB integrity, potential loss of white matter integrity, and cognitive dysfunction.…”