Structural connectome disruption and gray matter morphologic changes in active young boxers

Motivation: The effects of repeated concussions on the structural covariance network of active young boxers are unknown. Goal(s): To reveal the effects of sport-related concussion (SRC) on the brain morphology of boxers and to construct a structural covariance network to investigate global and local property changes in SRC networks. Approach: The cortical thickness and structural covariance network properties were calculated using 3D-T1WI of 57 SRC athletes and 72 healthy controls (HCs). Results: Compared with the HCs group, the SRC group had a thicker cortex in the bilateral hemisphere, reduced small-world properties, and reduced local efficiency. Impact: The topological properties of boxers' structural covariance networks were significantly abnormal, indicating that both network integration and separation functions were impaired due to repeated concussions.