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Defining a multimodal signature of remote sports concussions
Author(s) -
Tremblay Sébastien,
IturriaMedina Yasser,
MateosPérez José María,
Evans Alan C.,
De Beaumont Louis
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/ejn.13583
Subject(s) - concussion , white matter , signature (topology) , diffusion mri , athletes , medicine , computer science , physical medicine and rehabilitation , poison control , injury prevention , magnetic resonance imaging , physical therapy , medical emergency , radiology , geometry , mathematics
Sports‐related concussions lead to persistent anomalies of the brain structure and function that interact with the effects of normal ageing. Although post‐mortem investigations have proposed a bio‐signature of remote concussions, there is still no clear in vivo signature. In the current study, we characterized white matter integrity in retired athletes with a history of remote concussions by conducting a full‐brain, diffusion‐based connectivity analysis. Next, we combined MRI diffusion markers with MR spectroscopic, MRI volumetric, neurobehavioral and genetic markers to identify a multidimensional in vivo signature of remote concussions. Machine learning classifiers trained to detect remote concussions using this signature achieved detection accuracies up to 90% (sensitivity: 93%, specificity: 87%). These automated classifiers identified white matter integrity as the hallmark of remote concussions and could provide, following further validation, a preliminary unbiased detection tool to help medical and legal experts rule out concussion history in patients presenting or complaining about late‐life abnormal cognitive decline.