Structural brain differences in professional Australian rules footballers following mild traumatic brain injury: When head size matters
This study demonstrates subtle, likely persistent neuroanatomical differences between professional Australian rules footballers and non-athlete controls. Importantly, we advocate for cautious clinical interpretation of volumetric MRI findings considering methodological variabilities, particularly when inherent cohort differences (such as ICV) may bias results, and provide recommendations for future studies that examine volumetric changes in concussion cohorts.
Authors
- M. Makdissi
- Donna Parker
- Remika Mito (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3945-2293)
- Graeme D. Jackson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7917-5326)
- Heath Pardoe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0123-2167)
- Jackson Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3537-2617)
- Mangor Pedersen
- David F. Abbott
Institutions
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- La Trobe University (AU)
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (AU)
- Australian Football League (AU)
- Auckland University of Technology (NZ)
- Austin Health (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Neurology
- Published
- 2026-01-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2026.1701097
- Primary Topic
- Traumatic Brain Injury Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Australian Football League
- Strong
- National Imaging Facility
- Medical Research Council
- National Health and Medical Research Council