White matter hyperintensities in former American football players.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The presentation, risk factors, and etiologies of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in people exposed to repetitive head impacts are unknown. We examined the burden and distribution of WMH, and their association with years of play, age of first exposure, and clinical function in former American football players.

Methods

A total of 149 former football players and 53 asymptomatic unexposed participants (all men, 45-74 years) completed fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging, neuropsychological testing, and self-report neuropsychiatric measures. Lesion Segmentation Toolbox estimated WMH. Analyses were performed in the total sample and stratified by age 60.

Results

In older but not younger participants, former football players had gre

SUBMITTER: Alosco ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10351916 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature