Schedule of Events | Symposia

Structural Network Efficiency and Self-Reported Cognitive Symptoms After Sports-Related Concussion

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 29, 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom
Also presenting in Data Blitz Session 2 - Saturday, March 29, 2025, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm EDT, Independence Ballroom.

Heather C Bouchard^1,2 (hbouchard2@huskers.unl.edu), Ramsey R Wilcox^1,2, Douglas H Schultz^1,2, Aron K Barbey^1,2; ¹Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, ²Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Concussion results in diverse symptoms, including self-reported cognitive concerns. Prior research has investigated the effects of concussion on local brain networks, with limited attention to global network disruptions. This study examines global efficiency, a measure of system-wide network integration, to elucidate how concussion alters brain network organization and contributes to clinical presentation and recovery. We collected MRI and self-reported symptoms from collegiate athletes (n = 35) at three time points: baseline (pre-injury), within approximately 48 hours of a diagnosed concussion (post-injury), and after clearance to return-to-play (recovery). Athletes reported symptoms using the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale, which were categorized into cognitive, somatic, affective, and sleep-related domains. Structural connectomes were constructed from diffusion-weighted MRI using anatomically-constrained tractography, and global efficiency was calculated for each time point. Linear mixed-effects models were employed to assess the relationship between global efficiency and symptoms across the three time points. Athletes showed reduced global efficiency following concussion when controlling for prior concussion history, which persisted through recovery compared to baseline. Total symptom reports increased after concussion and decreased at recovery. Additionally, there was an interaction between global efficiency and cognitive symptoms, indicating lower global efficiency after concussion was associated with more cognitive symptoms. Our findings demonstrate that decreases in global efficiency may reflect a neurobiological marker of cognitive symptoms following concussion, such as slowed thinking, difficulty concentrating, and memory concerns. This relationship appears to diminish with clinical recovery, highlighting the need to further explore longitudinal effects and how these changes relate to objective markers of recovery.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Other