title: Metabolic changes in concussed American football players during the acute and chronic post-injury phases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite negative neuroimaging findings many athletes display neurophysiological alterations and post-concussion symptoms that may be attributable to neurometabolic alterations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study investigated the effects of sports concussion on brain metabolism using 1H-MR Spectroscopy by comparing a group of 10 non-concussed athletes with a group of 10 concussed athletes of the same age (mean: 22.5 years) and education (mean: 16 years) within both the acute and chronic post-injury phases. All athletes were scanned 1-6 days post-concussion and again 6-months later in a 3T Siemens MRI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Concussed athletes demonstrated neurometabolic impairment in prefrontal and motor (M1) cortices in the acute phase where NAA:Cr levels remained depressed relative to controls. There was some recovery observed in the chronic phase where Glu:Cr levels returned to those of control athletes; however, there was a pathological increase of m-I:Cr levels in M1 that was only present in the chronic phase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results confirm cortical neurometabolic changes in the acute post-concussion phase as well as recovery and continued metabolic abnormalities in the chronic phase. The results indicate that complex pathophysiological processes differ depending on the post-injury phase and the neurometabolite in question.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montréal, Québec, Canada. luke.henry@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Luke C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leclerc
authors.forename: Abdesselam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khiat
authors.forename: Yvan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Boulanger
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ellemberg
authors.forename: Maryse
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lassonde
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000378:metabolism; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005538:Football / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods; D038223:Post-Concussion Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*