Abstract
Alzheimers Dement. 2026 Apr;22(4):e71351. doi: 10.1002/alz.71351.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Repetitive head impacts (RHI) from contact sports may cause a unique pattern of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), termed RHI-associated WMH (RHI-WMH). These lesions are punctate, circular, and located at the gray-white matter boundary, an area vulnerable to trauma-related damage.
METHODS: We investigated the association of RHI with these lesions in two aging cohorts: (1) former American football players versus asymptomatic unexposed men and (2) individuals with RHI from various contact sports versus non-RHI participants. RHI-WMH were assessed using visual ratings and a novel automated quantification pipeline.
RESULTS: Individuals with RHI had greater RHI-WMH by both detection methods in both cohorts. RHI-WMH were associated with plasma neurofilament light and p-tau231, and flortaucipir positron emission tomography (PET) uptake.
DISCUSSION: RHI-WMH may represent a new supportive biomarker for the detection of RHI-related neuropathologies later in life.
PMID:42002804 | DOI:10.1002/alz.71351
UK DRI Authors
