Reliability of Brain Activity During a Supine Bilateral Leg Press and Association With Concurrent 3D Knee Joint Biomechanics.

Previous neuroimaging studies have established a foundation of knowledge regarding the supraspinal control of lower extremity movements. However, the relationship between subtle differences in lower extremity kinematics and concurrent brain activity during motor tasks is mainly unknown. Additionally, there is limited information regarding the consistency of brain activation measures during a lower extremity motor task.

The effects of short exercise bouts on error-related negativity (ERN) and academic achievement in children.

While short bouts of exercise are known to improve cognitive and academic performance in children, the underlying neural mechanisms driving these changes remain unclear. This study evaluates the effects of short (9-min) acute bouts of exercise (high intensity interval exercise, HIIE; moderate-intensity cycling) on error-related negativity (ERN), and academic achievement. School-aged children (n = 25; ages 9-12) participated in a within-subjects, crossover design, completing one of three conditions (HIIE, moderate-intensity cycling, and seated rest) on three separate days.

Reason Profiles for not Returning to Preinjury Activity Level Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction- A Latent Class Analysis With Subgroup Comparison of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures.

Background: Given the high proportion of athletes who do not return to sports (RTS) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), strategies are needed to identify at-risk patients and optimize rehabilitation for successful RTS after ACLR.

Purpose/hypothesis: This study used latent class analysis (LCA) to characterize a unique clustering of reasons why athletes do not return to their preinjury activity level after ACLR. We hypothesized that patients with high pain scores and high levels of fear would be less likely to return to their preinjury activity level.

Associations Between Brain Metabolites Measured With MR Spectroscopy and Head Impacts in High School American Football Athletes.

Background: While changes in brain metabolites after injury have been reported, relationships between metabolite changes and head impacts are less characterized.

Purpose: To investigate alterations in neurochemistry in high school athletes as a function of head impacts, concussion, and the use of a jugular vein compression (JVC) collar.

Study Type: Prospective controlled trial.

Take a Break for Memory Sake! Effects of Short Physical Activity Breaks on Inhibitory Control, Episodic Memory, and Event-Related Potentials in Children.

The pervasive sedentary lifestyle exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced physical activity (PA) among school-age children, necessitating innovative strategies to evaluate short PA breaks that are feasible in a classroom setting. This study explored the cognitive and neurophysiological (electroencephalography; EEG) impacts of short bouts of different PA modalities on inhibitory control (flanker task) and episodic memory (word recognition task) in children. Utilizing a within-participants cross-over design, thirty-six children ( = 36; 9-12 years old) attended the lab on three separate days with each visit including either a 9 min bout of sustained moderate-intensity cycling, high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), or seated rest.

Automated quantitative assessment of bone contusions and overlying articular cartilage following anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Quantitative methods to characterize bone contusions and associated cartilage injury remain limited. We combined standardized voxelwise normalization and 3D mapping to automate bone contusion segmentation post-anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and evaluate anomalies in articular cartilage overlying bone contusions. Forty-five patients (54% female, 26.

Visuo-vestibular and cognitive connections of the vestibular neuromatrix are conserved across age and injury populations.

Background And Purpose: Given the prevalence of vestibular dysfunction in pediatric concussion, there is a need to better understand pathophysiological disruptions within vestibular and associated cognitive, affective, and sensory-integrative networks. Although current research leverages established intrinsic connectivity networks, these are nonspecific for vestibular function, suggesting that a pathologically guided approach is warranted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the generalizability of the previously identified "vestibular neuromatrix" in adults with and without postconcussive vestibular dysfunction to young athletes aged 14-17.

The effects of sports-related concussion history on female adolescent brain activity and connectivity for bilateral lower extremity knee motor control.

Sports-related concussions (SRCs) are associated with neuromuscular control deficits in athletes following return to play. However, the connection between SRC and potentially disrupted neural regulation of lower extremity motor control has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate brain activity and connectivity during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) lower extremity motor control task (bilateral leg press) in female adolescent athletes with a history of SRC.

Lower extremity Interlimb coordination associated brain activity in young female athletes: A biomechanically instrumented neuroimaging study.

Bilateral sensorimotor coordination is required for everyday activities, such as walking and sitting down/standing up from a chair. Sensorimotor coordination functional neuroimaging (fMRI) paradigms (e.g.

Optimal Training for Movement Acquisition and Transfer: Does "Externally Focused" Visual Biofeedback Promote Implicit Motor Learning?

Context: Visual biofeedback has been shown to facilitate injury-resistant movement acquisition in adolescent athletes. Visual biofeedback is typically thought to foster implicit learning by stimulating athletes to focus attention externally (on movement outcome). However, biofeedback may also induce explicit learning if the athlete uses the visual information to consciously guide movement execution (via an internal focus).

Preliminary brain-behavioral neural correlates of anterior cruciate ligament injury risk landing biomechanics using a novel bilateral leg press neuroimaging paradigm.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk reduction strategies primarily focus on biomechanical factors related to frontal plane knee motion and loading. Although central nervous system processing has emerged as a contributor to injury risk, brain activity associated with the resultant ACL injury-risk biomechanics is limited. Thus, the purposes of this preliminary study were to determine the relationship between bilateral motor control brain activity and injury risk biomechanics and isolate differences in brain activity for those who demonstrate high versus low ACL injury risk.

Helmet Technology, Head Impact Exposure, and Cortical Thinning Following a Season of High School Football.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of wearing older, lower-ranked football helmets (LRank) to wearing newer, higher-ranked football helmets (HRank) on pre- to post-season changes in cortical thickness in response to repetitive head impacts and assess whether changes in cortical thickness are associated with head impact exposure for either helmet type. 105 male high-school athletes (N = 52, N = 53) wore accelerometers affixed behind the left mastoid during all practices and games for one regular season of American football to monitor head impact exposure. Pre- and post-season magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were completed to assess longitudinal changes in cortical thickness.

Brain Activity During Experimental Knee Pain and Its Relationship With Kinesiophobia in Patients With Patellofemoral Pain: A Preliminary Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Investigation.

Context: The etiology of patellofemoral pain has remained elusive, potentially due to an incomplete understanding of how pain, motor control, and kinesiophobia disrupt central nervous system functioning.

Objective: To directly evaluate brain activity during experimental knee pain and its relationship to kinesiophobia in patients with patellofemoral pain.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Preliminary Report on the Train the Brain Project, Part I: Sensorimotor Neural Correlates of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk Biomechanics.

Context: Anterior cruciate ligament injury commonly occurs via noncontact motor coordination errors that result in excessive multiplanar loading during athletic movements. Preventing motor coordination errors requires neural sensorimotor integration activity to support knee-joint neuromuscular control, but the underlying neural mechanisms driving injury-risk motor control are not well understood.

Objective: To evaluate brain activity differences for knee sensorimotor control between athletes with high or low injury-risk mechanics.

Preliminary Report on the Train the Brain Project, Part II: Neuroplasticity of Augmented Neuromuscular Training and Improved Injury-Risk Biomechanics.

Context: Neuromuscular training (NMT) facilitates the acquisition of new movement patterns that reduce the anterior cruciate ligament injury risk. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these changes are unknown.

Objective: To determine the relationship between brain activation and biomechanical changes after NMT with biofeedback.

A preliminary investigation of the effects of patellar displacement on brain activation and perceived pain in young females with patellofemoral pain.

Objectives: To identify the neural substrates of a clinician-based test and associated pain perception in young female athletes with patellofemoral pain.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Methods: Females with patellofemoral pain (n = 14; 14.

Effect of Subconcussive Head Impact Exposure and Jugular Vein Compression on Behavioral and Cognitive Outcomes after a Single Season of High-School Football: A Prospective Longitudinal Trial.

This prospective longitudinal trial aimed to (1) determine the role of head impact exposure on behavioral/cognitive outcomes, and (2) assess the protective effect(s) of a jugular vein compression (JVC) collar on behavioral/cognitive outcomes after one season of high-school football. Participants included 284 male high-school football players aged 13-18 years enrolled from seven Midwestern high-schools. Schools were allocated to the JVC collar intervention (four teams, 140 players) or no collar/no intervention control (three teams, 144 players) condition.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Newer Helmet Designs with Emergent Shell and Padding Technologies Versus Older Helmet Models for Preserving White Matter Following a Season of High School Football.

We aimed to objectively compare the effects of wearing newer, higher-ranked football helmets (HRank) vs. wearing older, lower-ranked helmets (LRank) on pre- to post-season alterations to neuroimaging-derived metrics of athletes' white matter. Fifty-four high-school athletes wore an HRank helmet, and 62 athletes wore an LRank helmet during their competitive football season and completed pre- and post-season diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Does central nervous system dysfunction underlie patellofemoral pain in young females? Examining brain functional connectivity in association with patient-reported outcomes.

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is defined as retro- or peri-patellar knee pain without a clear structural abnormality. Unfortunately, many current treatment approaches fail to provide long-term pain relief, potentially due to an incomplete understanding of pain-disrupted sensorimotor dysfunction within the central nervous system. The purposes of this study were to evaluate brain functional connectivity in participants with and without PFP, and to determine the relationship between altered brain functional connectivity in association with patient-reported outcomes.

White Matter Alteration Following SWAT Explosive Breaching Training and the Moderating Effect of a Neck Collar Device: A DTI and NODDI Study.

Introduction: Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel who practice breaching with blast exposure are at risk for blast-related head trauma. We aimed to investigate the impact of low-level blast exposure on underlying white matter (WM) microstructure based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation and density imaging (NODDI) in SWAT personnel before and after breacher training. Diffusion tensor imaging is an advanced MRI technique sensitive to underlying WM alterations.