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Sports-related brain injuries: connecting pathology to diagnosis NEUROSURGICAL FOCUS Pan, J., Connolly, I. D., Dangelmajer, S., Kintzing, J., Ho, A. L., Grant, G. 2016; 40 (4)

Abstract

Brain injuries are becoming increasingly common in athletes and represent an important diagnostic challenge. Early detection and management of brain injuries in sports are of utmost importance in preventing chronic neurological and psychiatric decline. These types of injuries incurred during sports are referred to as mild traumatic brain injuries, which represent a heterogeneous spectrum of disease. The most dramatic manifestation of chronic mild traumatic brain injuries is termed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is associated with profound neuropsychiatric deficits. Because chronic traumatic encephalopathy can only be diagnosed by postmortem examination, new diagnostic methodologies are needed for early detection and amelioration of disease burden. This review examines the pathology driving changes in athletes participating in high-impact sports and how this understanding can lead to innovations in neuroimaging and biomarker discovery.

View details for DOI 10.3171/2016.1.FOCUS15607

View details for Web of Science ID 000373476500004

View details for PubMedID 27032917