INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 03 Program Schedule 02/15/2024 09:30 am - 10:40 am Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 03: Neurotrauma \| Neurovascular Final Abstract #22 Reliability of Informant Responses to the Boston University Repetitive Head Impact Exposure Assessment Farwa Faheem, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States Robert Stern, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States Thor Stein, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States Joseph Palmisano, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States Brett Martin, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States Yorghos Tripodis, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States Daniel Daneshvar, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States Christopher Nowinski, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States Kristen Dams-O’Connor, Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Brain Injury Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States Ann McKee, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States Jesse Mez, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States Michael Alosco, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States Category: Assessment/Psychometrics/Methods (Adult) Keyword 1: assessment Keyword 2: sports-related neuropsychology Keyword 3: test reliability Objective: Exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) from contact and collision sports and military service has been associated with mixed neuropathologies. Our knowledge of the late effects of RHI is largely based on autopsy studies that query brain donors RHI history using questionnaires administered to next of kin. We developed the Boston University Repetitive Head Impact Exposure Assessment (BU-RHIEA) to assess various proxies of RHI exposure from contact and collision sports and military service. The reliability of informant responses on the BU-RHIEA is unknown. Here, we assessed the reliability of the BU-RHIEA by examining the concordance between participant and informant responses. Participants and Methods: The sample included 28 brain donors who are part of the UNITE Brain Bank at the BU CTE Center. As part of the UNITE study, next of kin are administered the BU-RHIEA in the form of online surveys and/or semi-structured interviews by telephone. Prior to death, these donors participated in at the BU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and BU CTE Center and were administered the BU-RHIEA via online surveys and/or semi-structured interviews by telephone. There were slight changes in how questions were worded across studies but the content was not altered. We identified items on the BU-RHIEA that were most similarly asked across studies and have been used most consistently as proxies of exposure to RHI in the literature. Cohen’s kappa and Pearson’s correlation coefficients examined agreement between responses to questions asking about age of first exposure (AFE), duration of play for a sport, highest level of play (e.g., professional, college, or high school), position at the highest level played, lifetime number of concussions and military involvement. We examined mean AFE and number of concussions reported in post and antemortem responses to see if there was a significant difference. Results: Of the 28 brain donors, the mean age of death was 65 (SD = 15.2), 1 was Black, and 17 were neuropathologically diagnosed with CTE using published criteria. All 28 donors played sports (N=26 contact and collision sports with N=23 who played football) and 8 served in the military. There was strong concordance between participant and informant responses on total years of play (r(24)=0.87, p<0.001). There was a strong but attenuated (compared to total years) effect size for AFE (r(17)=0.52, p=0.02). The mean AFE reported by participants (M=11.1, SD=3.07) and informant (M=10.19, SD=2.86) responses were not significantly different (p=0.94). There was substantial agreement between responses for highest level of play (k=0.856, 95% CI=0.68-1.01, p<.001), primary sport position (k=0.747, 95% CI=0.48-1.02, p<.001) and military exposure (k=1.00, 95% CI=1, p<.001). There was weak agreement for total reported concussions (r(21)=0.206, p=0.34) and the means were significantly different (participant: M=31.8, SD=38.7, informant: M=68.6, SD=92.7, p=0.001). Conclusions: Informant reports represent a reliable method to assess exposure to RHI for studies where participant responses are unavailable. Moreover, the BU-RHIEA is a reliable assessment tool to collect data about contact and collision sport and military service history. However, consistent with previous research, there was poor reliability for reporting of lifetime concussions.

Poster

02/15/2024
09:30 am - 10:40 am
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 03: Neurotrauma | Neurovascular

Final Abstract #22

Reliability of Informant Responses to the Boston University Repetitive Head Impact Exposure Assessment

Farwa Faheem, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Robert Stern, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Thor Stein, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Joseph Palmisano, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Brett Martin, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Yorghos Tripodis, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Daniel Daneshvar, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
Christopher Nowinski, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Kristen Dams-O’Connor, Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Brain Injury Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
Ann McKee, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Jesse Mez, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Michael Alosco, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and CTE Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States

Category: Assessment/Psychometrics/Methods (Adult)

Keyword 1: assessment
Keyword 2: sports-related neuropsychology
Keyword 3: test reliability

Objective:

Exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) from contact and collision sports and military service has been associated with mixed neuropathologies. Our knowledge of the late effects of RHI is largely based on autopsy studies that query brain donors RHI history using questionnaires administered to next of kin. We developed the Boston University Repetitive Head Impact Exposure Assessment (BU-RHIEA) to assess various proxies of RHI exposure from contact and collision sports and military service. The reliability of informant responses on the BU-RHIEA is unknown. Here, we assessed the reliability of the BU-RHIEA by examining the concordance between participant and informant responses.

Participants and Methods:

The sample included 28 brain donors who are part of the UNITE Brain Bank at the BU CTE Center. As part of the UNITE study, next of kin are administered the BU-RHIEA in the form of online surveys and/or semi-structured interviews by telephone. Prior to death, these donors participated in at the BU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and BU CTE Center and were administered the BU-RHIEA via online surveys and/or semi-structured interviews by telephone. There were slight changes in how questions were worded across studies but the content was not altered. We identified items on the BU-RHIEA that were most similarly asked across studies and have been used most consistently as proxies of exposure to RHI in the literature. Cohen’s kappa and Pearson’s correlation coefficients examined agreement between responses to questions asking about age of first exposure (AFE), duration of play for a sport, highest level of play (e.g., professional, college, or high school), position at the highest level played, lifetime number of concussions and military involvement. We examined mean AFE and number of concussions reported in post and antemortem responses to see if there was a significant difference.

Results:

Of the 28 brain donors, the mean age of death was 65 (SD = 15.2), 1 was Black, and 17 were neuropathologically diagnosed with CTE using published criteria. All 28 donors played sports (N=26 contact and collision sports with N=23 who played football) and 8 served in the military. There was strong concordance between participant and informant responses on total years of play (r(24)=0.87, p<0.001). There was a strong but attenuated (compared to total years) effect size for AFE (r(17)=0.52, p=0.02). The mean AFE reported by participants (M=11.1, SD=3.07) and informant (M=10.19, SD=2.86) responses were not significantly different (p=0.94). There was substantial agreement between responses for highest level of play (k=0.856, 95% CI=0.68-1.01, p<.001), primary sport position (k=0.747, 95% CI=0.48-1.02, p<.001) and military exposure (k=1.00, 95% CI=1, p<.001). There was weak agreement for total reported concussions (r(21)=0.206, p=0.34) and the means were significantly different (participant: M=31.8, SD=38.7, informant: M=68.6, SD=92.7, p=0.001).

Conclusions:

Informant reports represent a reliable method to assess exposure to RHI for studies where participant responses are unavailable. Moreover, the BU-RHIEA is a reliable assessment tool to collect data about contact and collision sport and military service history. However, consistent with previous research, there was poor reliability for reporting of lifetime concussions.