ABOVE: Functional MRI scans show higher connectivity in the brains of rugby players in the off-season (top row) compared with non-contact athletes (bottom row).
© NEUROLOGY, 95:e402–12, 2020
The paper
K.Y. Manning et al., “Longitudinal changes of brain microstructure and function in nonconcussed female rugby players,” Neurology, 95:e402–12, 2020.
Conversations about injuries in high-impact sports, such as football, hockey, and rugby, typically center around concussions, brain injuries that can affect memory, cognition, and balance. But not every collision yields a concussion, and even repeated, seemingly harmless impacts can alter the microstructure of white matter, myelinated neurons located deep in the brain, researchers reported in Neurology in July.
The study followed 104 female collegiate athletes in rugby, swimming, and rowing. Athletes wore headband sensors to measure the force of collisions during practices and games. None of the hits experienced by any athlete caused a concussion. Still, MRI and other imaging techniques showed ...
