Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Vision Training Methods for Sports Concussion Mitigation and Management
Published on: May 5, 2015
Repeated Sport-Related Concussion Shows Only Minimal White Matter Differences Many Years After Playing High School
Douglas P Terry1, Catherine M Mewborn2, L Stephen Miller2
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
Objective:
Multiple concussions sustained in youth sport may be associated with later-life brain changes and worse cognitive outcomes. We examined the association between two or more concussions during high school football and later-life white matter (WM) microstructure (i.e., 22-47 years following football retirement) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
Method:
Forty former high school football players aged 40-65 who received 2+ concussions during high school football (N = 20), or denied concussive events (N = 20) were recruited. Participants underwent neurocognitive testing and DTI scanning.
Results:
Groups did not statistically differ on age, education, or estimated pre-morbid intelligence. Tract-based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) correcting for Family-Wise Error (FWE)(p < .05) did not yield differences between groups at the whole-brain level. Region of interest analyses showed higher mean diffusivity (MD) in the anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) in the concussed group compared to the non-concussed former players. More liberal analyses (i.e., p < .001, uncorrected for multiple comparisons, ≥8 voxels) also revealed that former players endorsing 2+ concussions had higher MD in the ALIC. Analyses that covaried for age did not reveal differences at either threshold. Concussive histories were not associated with worse cognitive functioning, nor did it impact the relationship between neuropsychological scores and DTI metrics.
Discussion:
Results suggest only minimal neuroanatomical brain differences in former athletes many years following original concussive injuries compared to controls.
Related Concept Videos
Classifying Matter by State
Classifying Matter by Composition
According to its composition, the matter can be classified into two broad categories — pure substances and mixtures.
A pure substance is a form of matter that has a constant composition throughout with uniform properties. For example, any sample of sucrose has the same composition and same physical properties, such as melting point, color, and sweetness, regardless of the source from which it is isolated.
A mixture is composed of two or...
Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter
The Atomic Theory of Matter
States of Matter
Scientists have discovered a fourth state of matter, plasma, that occurs naturally in the interiors...
Social Foundations of Self I: Play and Game

