Postconcussion symptoms are associated with cerebral cortical thickness in healthy collegiate and preparatory school ice hockey players

Matthew D Albaugh; Catherine Orr; Joshua P Nickerson; Cole Zweber; James R Slauterbeck; Scott Hipko; Jay Gonyea; Trevor Andrews; J Curtis Brackenbury; Richard Watts; James J Hudziak

doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.10.016

Postconcussion symptoms are associated with cerebral cortical thickness in healthy collegiate and preparatory school ice hockey players

J Pediatr. 2015 Feb;166(2):394-400.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.10.016. Epub 2014 Nov 18.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Child Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT.
² Department of Radiology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT.
³ Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT.
⁴ Department of Radiology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT; University of Vermont MRI Center for Biomedical Imaging, Burlington, VT.
⁵ Department of Radiology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT; University of Vermont MRI Center for Biomedical Imaging, Burlington, VT; Philips Healthcare, Cleveland, OH.
⁶ DC Hybrid Skating, Milwaukee, WI.
⁷ Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Child Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT. Electronic address: james.hudziak@uvm.edu.

PMID: 25454943
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.10.016

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the degree to which concussion history and postconcussive symptoms are associated with cortical morphology among male hockey players.

Study design: Male subjects (n = 29), ranging in age from 14 to 23 years (mean 17.8 years), were recruited from preparatory school and collegiate ice hockey teams and underwent neuroimaging and baseline Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) testing. Cerebral cortical thickness was regressed against ImPACT Total Symptom Score (TSS), concussion history, as well as baseline measures of psychopathology. Reconstruction of surfaces and cortical thickness analysis were conducted with FreeSurfer (version 5.3.0).

Results: ImPACT TSS was inversely associated with local cortical thickness in widespread brain areas. Associations were revealed in a host of frontal as well as bilateral temporoparietal cortices. Conversely, concussion history was not associated with cortical thickness. An "Age by Concussion History" interaction was associated with thickness in the right ventrolateral and right parietal cortices. Post-hoc analysis revealed that concussed participants did not exhibit age-related cortical thinning in these regions.

Conclusion: We have identified an association between brain structure and postconcussive symptoms among young, otherwise-healthy male athletes. Postconcussive symptoms and related reductions in cortical thickness may be tied to participation in a full-contact sport that involves frequent blows to the head.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Cerebral Cortex / pathology*
Hockey / injuries*
Humans
Male
Post-Concussion Syndrome / pathology*
Young Adult