TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Abnormalities in functional connectivity in collegiate football athletes with and without a concussion history: implications and role of neuroactive kynurenine pathway metabolites
JO  - Journal of neurotrauma
A1  - Meier, Timothy
A1  - Lancaster, Melissa
A1  - Mayer, Andrew
A1  - Teague, T. Kent
A1  - Savitz, Jonathan
SP  - 824
EP  - 837
VL  - 34
IS  - 4
N2  - There is a great need to identify potential long-term consequences of contact-sport exposure and to identify molecular pathways that may be associated with these changes. We tested the hypothesis that football players with (Ath-mTBI; n=25) and without a concussion history (Ath; n=24) have altered resting state functional connectivity in regions with previously documented structural changes relative to healthy controls without football or concussion history (HC; n=27). As a secondary aim, we tested the hypothesis that group differences in functional connectivity are moderated by the relative ratio of neuroprotective to neurotoxic metabolites of the kynurenine pathway. Ath-mTBI had significantly increased connectivity of motor cortex to the supplementary motor area relative to Ath and HC. In contrast, both Ath-mTBI and Ath had increased connectivity between the left orbital frontal cortex and the right lateral frontal cortex, and between the left cornu ammonis 2-3/dentate gyrus (CA2-3/DG) of the hippocampus and the middle and posterior cingulate cortices relative to HC. The relationship between the ratio of plasma concentrations of kynurenic acid to quinolinic acid (KYNA/QUIN) and left pregenual anterior cingulate cortex connectivity to multiple regions as well as KYNA/QUIN and right CA2-3/DG connectivity to multiple regions differed significantly according to football and concussion history. The results suggest that football exposure with and without concussion history can have a significant effect on intrinsic brain connectivity and implicate the kynurenine metabolic pathway as one potential moderator of functional connectivity dependent on football exposure and concussion history.      Keywords: American football;  <p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0897-7151
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/neu.2016.4599
ID  - ref1
ER  -