title: FMRI hypoactivation during verbal learning and memory in former high school football players with multiple concussions.
abstract: Multiple concussions before the age of 18 may be associated with late-life memory deficits. This study examined neural activation associated with verbal encoding and memory retrieval in former athletes ages 40-65 who received at least two concussions (median = 3; range = 2-15) playing high school football and a group of former high school football players with no reported history of concussions matched on age, education, and pre-morbid IQ. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data collected during a modified verbal paired associates paradigm indicated that those with concussive histories had hypoactivation in left hemispheric language regions, including the inferior/middle frontal gyri and angular gyrus compared with controls. However, concussive history was not associated with worse memory functioning on neuropsychological tests or worse behavioral performance during the paradigm, suggesting that multiple early-life concussions may be associated with subtle changes in the verbal encoding system that limits one from accessing higher-order semantic networks, but this difference does not translate into measurable cognitive performance deficits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA dpterry@uga.edu.
authors.forename: Douglas P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: T Eric
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: College of Health & Human Services, University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA BioImaging Research Center, Biomedical & Health Science Institute, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: L Stephen
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D056352:Athletes; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005538:Football; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D014936:Word Association Tests
keywords: Childhood brain insult; Head injury, traumatic brain injury; Language and language disorders; Learning and memory; Neuroimaging (functional)