Slow blood-to-brain transport underlies enduring barrier dysfunction in American football players.

ABSTRACT: Repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in American football players has garnered increasing public attention following reports of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive tauopathy. While the mechanisms underlying repetitive mild traumatic brain injury-induced neurodegeneration are unknown and antemortem diagnostic tests are not available, neuropathology studies suggest a pathogenic role for microvascular injury, specifically blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Thus, our main objective was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a modified dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI approach we have developed to detect impairments in brain microvascular function. To this end, we scanned 42 adult male amateur American football players and a control group comprising 27 athletes practicing a non-contact sp

SUBMITTER: Veksler R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7297017 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature