Zexuan Liu
BME MS Thesis Defense Presentation
Date: 2023-03-10
Time: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
Location / Meeting Link: Health Sciences Research Building E160 https://zoom.us/j/94266755975?pwd=WE8xOUpsMjlOVVpIK21Xa09iYXZJUT09

Committee Members:
Candace C. Fleischer, PhD (Advisor); John N. Oshinski, PhD; Jason W. Allen, MD, PhD; Jed A. Diekfuss, PhD


Title: Characterization of neurochemical and physiological changes after brain injury using magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Abstract:
Symptoms and presentation of sports-related concussion are heterogeneous, and both diagnosis and prognosis can be challenging. Concussion can lead to disruption in normal brain function and alterations in neurochemistry. We hypothesize neurochemical changes may be a quantitative marker for concussion prognosis. In this work, we used non-invasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to characterize brain metabolite changes in a large cohort of high school American football athletes (n=284) as a function of time (pre-season, post-season, and post-concussion), repeated head impact exposure, concussion diagnosis, and presence of a protective collar. We observed significant changes in multiple brain metabolites, and post-hoc analysis revealed changes in total choline were significantly correlated with head impact exposure in individuals who experienced a concussion. Our results suggest total choline may be a key metric for concussion-related brain alterations after repeated head impacts of high magnitude. Future research will focus on the continued development of non-invasive imaging methods and markers for improved outcomes after sports-related concussion.