Disrupted topological brain organizations in large-scale cortical networks between impaired and nonimpaired active fighters

Using neuropsychological scores from the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study (PFBHS), this study first identified 70 cognitively impaired active professional fighters, and then matched 70 nonimpaired fighters but matched on demographics, and other fighting criteria. This study shows that repeated head trauma is associated with altered coordination of large-scale structural brain networks, especially in the long-range connections. Furthermore, the cortical thickness of regions identified as hubs has the potential of developing into a predictive biomarker for identifying the fighters that will develop cognitive decline due to repeated head trauma.