Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · Jun 2021
Analysis of longitudinal head impact exposure and white matter integrity in returning youth football players.
The objective of this study was to characterize changes in head impact exposure (HIE) across multiple football seasons and to determine whether changes in HIE correlate with changes in imaging metrics in youth football players. ⋯ These results demonstrate a significant positive association between changes in HIE metrics and changes in the numbers of abnormal voxels between consecutive seasons of youth football. Reducing the number and frequency of head impacts, especially during practice sessions, may decrease the number of abnormal imaging findings from one season to the next in youth football.