MRI reveals how football head injuries may lead to dementia

Thumbnail: From here https://www.auntminnie.com/clinical-news/molecular-imaging/article/15636058/pet-study-questions-equity-of-nfls-concussion-settlementSigns of injury to the brain's white matter called white matter hyperintensities, as seen on brain scans, may be tied more strongly to vascular risk factors, brain shrinkage, and other markers of dementia in former tackle football players than in those who did not play football.The results add to previous research that has evaluated the effect of repeated head injuries, senior author Michale Alosco, PhD, of Boston University said in a statement released by the journal. The findings were published December 20 in the journal Neurology."Studies have shown that athletes exposed to repetitive head impacts can have increased white matter hyperintensity burden in their brains," he said. "White matter hyperintensities are easily seen on MRI as markers of injury of various causes. We know these markers are more common as people age and with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, but [our] results provide initial insight that they may be related to multiple aspects of brain damage from repetitive head impacts."Tracking levels of white matter hyperintensities on brain MRI exams shows promise for evaluating long-term effects of repetitive head impacts, Alosco and colleagues noted. Repetitive head impacts have also been linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease that can result in dementia, they...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Subspecialties Neuroradiology Source Type: news