Cortical thinning in former professional soccer players.
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Soccer players are at high risk for repetitive subconcussive head impact when heading the ball. Whether this leads to long-term alterations of the brain's structure associated with cognitive decline remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate cortical thickness in former professional soccer players using high-resolution structural MR imaging. Fifteen former male professional soccer players (mean age 49.3 [SD 5.1] years) underwent high-resolution structural 3 T MR imaging, as well as cognitive testing. Fifteen male, age-matched former professional non-contact sport athletes (mean age 49.6 [SD 6.4] years) served as controls. Group analyses of cortical thickness were performed using voxel-based statistics. Soccer players demonstrated greater cortical thinning with increasing age compared to controls in the right inferolateral-parietal, temporal, and occipital cortex. Cortical thinning was associated with lower cognitive performance as well as with estimated exposure to repetitive subconcussive head impact. Neurocognitive evaluation revealed decreased memory performance in the soccer players compared to controls. The association of cortical thinning and decreased cognitive performance, as well as exposure to repetitive subconcussive head impact, further supports the hypothesis that repetitive subconcussive head impact may play a role in early cognitive decline in soccer players. Future studies are needed to elucidate the time course of changes in cortical thickness as well as their association with impaired cognitive function and possible underlying neurodegenerative process.
Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. ikoerte@bwh.harvard.edu.|Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany. ikoerte@bwh.harvard.edu.|Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany. ikoerte@bwh.harvard.edu.
Inga K
IK
Koerte
Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.|Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.
Michael
M
Mayinger
Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.|Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.|Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.
Marc
M
Muehlmann
Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.|Department of Radiology, Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
David
D
Kaufmann
Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.|Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Alexander P
AP
Lin
Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.
Denise
D
Steffinger
Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.
Barbara
B
Fisch
Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.|Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.
Boris-Stephan
BS
Rauchmann
Department of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.
Stefanie
S
Immler
Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.
Susanne
S
Karch
Department of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.
Florian R
FR
Heinen
Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.
Birgit
B
Ertl-Wagner
Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich, Germany.
Maximilian
M
Reiser
Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Robert A
RA
Stern
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Ross
R
Zafonte
Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.|Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.|VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.
Martha E
ME
Shenton
D056352:Athletes; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009929:Organ Size; D012916:Soccer
Aging; Cortical thickness; Repetitive subconcussive head impact; Soccer; Traumatic brain injury