Associations of prior concussion severity with brain microstructure using mean apparent propagator magnetic resonance imaging. Hum Brain Mapp 2024 Jan;45(1):e26556
Date
01/02/2024Pubmed ID
38158641Pubmed Central ID
PMC10789198DOI
10.1002/hbm.26556Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85180852832 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diffusion studies have shown chronic microstructural tissue abnormalities in athletes with history of concussion, but with inconsistent findings. Concussions with post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) and/or loss of consciousness (LOC) have been connected to greater physiological injury. The novel mean apparent propagator (MAP) MRI is expected to be more sensitive to such tissue injury than the conventional diffusion tensor imaging. This study examined effects of prior concussion severity on microstructure with MAP-MRI. Collegiate-aged athletes (N = 111, 38 females; ≥6 months since most recent concussion, if present) completed semistructured interviews to determine the presence of prior concussion and associated injury characteristics, including PTA and LOC. MAP-MRI metrics (mean non-Gaussian diffusion [NG Mean], return-to-origin probability [RTOP], and mean square displacement [MSD]) were calculated from multi-shell diffusion data, then evaluated for associations with concussion severity through group comparisons in a primary model (athletes with/without prior concussion) and two secondary models (athletes with/without prior concussion with PTA and/or LOC, and athletes with/without prior concussion with LOC only). Bayesian multilevel modeling estimated models in regions of interest (ROI) in white matter and subcortical gray matter, separately. In gray matter, the primary model showed decreased NG Mean and RTOP in the bilateral pallidum and decreased NG Mean in the left putamen with prior concussion. In white matter, lower NG Mean with prior concussion was present in all ROI across all models and was further decreased with LOC. However, only prior concussion with LOC was associated with decreased RTOP and increased MSD across ROI. Exploratory analyses conducted separately in male and female athletes indicate associations in the primary model may differ by sex. Results suggest microstructural measures in gray matter are associated with a general history of concussion, while a severity-dependent association of prior concussion may exist in white matter.
Author List
Goeckner BD, Brett BL, Mayer AR, España LY, Banerjee A, Muftuler LT, Meier TBAuthors
Anjishnu Banerjee PhD Associate Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of WisconsinTimothy B. Meier PhD Associate Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Lutfi Tugan Muftuler PhD Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedAthletic Injuries
Bayes Theorem
Brain
Brain Concussion
Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
White Matter
