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AJNR - American Journal of Neuroradiology

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American Journal of Neuroradiology 27:2000-2004, October 2006
© 2006 American Society of Neuroradiology

BRAIN

Diffusion Anisotropy Changes in the Brains of Professional Boxers

L. Zhang^a, L.A. Heier^a, R.D. Zimmerman^a, B. Jordan^b,c and A.M. Ulu^a

^a Department of Radiology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY
^b Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, White Plains, NY
^c New York State Athletic Commission, New York, NY

Address correspondence to: Aziz M. Ulu, PhD, Department of Radiology, Box 141, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 1300 York Ave, New York, NY 10021; e-mail: ulug{at}ieee.org

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Professional boxing may result in brain injury. We hypothesize that quantitative MR diffusion imaging may be useful in determining early white matter changes.

METHODS: Forty-nine professional boxers (age 30 ± 4.5 years) and 19 healthy control subjects (age 32 ± 9.5 years) were imaged on a clinical 1.5T scanner. None of the subjects had neurologic disorder or deficit. The average diffusion constant (D_av) and diffusion anisotropy (FA) were determined pixel by pixel. Regional diffusion measurements were done in the corpus callosum (CC) and internal capsule (IC). The whole brain diffusion constant (BD_av) was also determined. Student t test was used to analyze the diffusion difference between boxers and the healthy control subjects. P < .05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: Of the 49 professional boxers, 42 had normal conventional MRIs. The remaining 7 boxers had abnormal MR imaging findings dominated by nonspecific white matter disease. There was a significant difference in diffusion and anisotropy measurements in all the boxers compared with the healthy control subjects. In the boxer group, BD_av increased and FA decreased significantly in the CC and posterior limb of IC. The measured FA and D_av inversely correlated in regions of CC and IC in boxers but not in healthy control subjects. BD_av also robustly correlated with both FA and D_av in the splenium of CC in boxers.

CONCLUSION: Increased BD_av and the decreased FA in the CC and IC may represent preclinical signs of subtle brain injury in professional boxers.

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