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Updated: Jan 25, 2026
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High-resolution In Vivo Manual Segmentation Protocol for Human Hippocampal Subfields Using 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: November 10, 2015
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Longitudinal Changes in Hippocampal Subfield Volume Associated with Collegiate Football
Sherveen N Parivash1, Maged Goubran1, Brian D Mills1
1Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
Journal of Neurotrauma
|May 3, 2019
Summary
Collegiate football players show decreased hippocampal CA1 volume over time, a change not seen in volleyball players. This study highlights potential long-term brain impacts of repeated head impacts in contact sports.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sports Medicine
- Radiology
Background:
- Collegiate football athletes experience repeated head trauma, increasing risk for brain injury.
- The hippocampus, crucial for memory, has subfields potentially vulnerable to injury.
- Understanding longitudinal changes in these subfields is vital for assessing brain health in athletes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate longitudinal changes in hippocampal subfield volumes among collegiate football athletes.
- To compare these changes with those in a non-contact sport control group (volleyball).
- To identify potential correlations between football-related concussion risk and hippocampal subfield volumes.
Main Methods:
- A 5-year prospective cohort study involving 63 football and 34 volleyball male collegiate athletes.
- High-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to assess brain structure.
- Automated segmentation techniques quantified hippocampal subfield volumes.
Main Results:
- Football athletes had smaller baseline subiculum volumes compared to volleyball athletes.
- Increased concussion risk, based on player position, correlated with smaller subiculum volumes in football players.
- A significant decrease in Cornu Ammonis area 1 (CA1) volume was observed in football athletes over time, even without in-study concussions, compared to volleyball athletes.
Conclusions:
- Collegiate football participation is associated with longitudinal decreases in CA1 hippocampal volume.
- Baseline differences in the subiculum were also noted between football and volleyball athletes.
- These findings suggest that hippocampal changes may be a significant indicator of brain health in high-contact sports.
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