INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 04 Program Schedule 02/15/2024 12:00 pm - 01:15 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 04: Neuroimaging \| Neurostimulation/Neuromodulation \| Teleneuropsychology/Technology Final Abstract #10 Comparing Trajectories of Somatomotor-Dorsal Attention Network Connectivity in Youth Recently Recovered from Concussion and Controls. Nishta Amin, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States Hsuan-Wei Chen, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States Tyler Busch, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States Mary Nebel, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States Stacy Suskauer, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States Beth Slomine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States Adrian Svingos, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States Category: Neurophysiology/EEG/ERP/fMRI Keyword 1: neuroimaging: functional connectivity Keyword 2: cognitive rehabilitation Keyword 3: sports-related neuropsychology Objective: Examining functional brain network connectivity after clinical recovery from adolescent concussion may facilitate understanding of physiologic recovery and persisting atypical motor performance. Prior research suggests that youth recovered from concussion show alterations in resting-state connectivity of motor regions with default mode and dorsal attention (DAN) networks; however, there is limited research examining longitudinal changes in the synchrony between these networks. Here, we examine longitudinal changes in somatomotor-DAN connectivity in youth recovered from concussion and never-concussed controls. Participants and Methods: Participants included 42 youth ages 10-17 years (M_age=13.33, SD=2.48; 54.8% Male). 13 were clinically recovered from concussion (M_{days since injury}=75.07, SD=34.60) and 29 were never-concussed controls. Participants completed an initial MRI scan (within 6 weeks after medical clearance for those with concussion) and a 3-month follow-up scan. We aggregated low-motion (0.01-0.10 Hz) fMRI data from a dedicated resting-state scan and separate finger-tapping task scan to yield a minimum of 5 minutes of scan time for each participant (M_{scan time}=14.53 minutes, M_{framewise displacement}=0.34 mm). We assigned each participant a trajectory (increase or decrease) to reflect the change in somatomotor-DAN connectivity from initial to 3-month scans. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distribution of trajectories between youth recovered from concussion and never-concussed controls. We followed a similar process for a subset of youth (N=19) who completed a third scan 12 months after the initial scan. Trajectories (increase, decrease, A-shaped or V-shaped) were assigned based on the changes in somatomotor-DAN connectivity from initial to 3-months and then 3-months to 12-months, and a Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distribution of trajectories between groups. Results: Youth recovered from concussion and never-concussed controls did not differ significantly in age, sex, race, and maternal education. The distribution of trajectories from initial to 3-months differed significantly between youth recovered from concussion and controls (p=.041). Never-concussed controls were more likely to be assigned a trajectory reflecting a decrease in somatomotor-DAN connectivity from initial to 3-months. When examining the 12-month timepoint, there continued to be a group difference in distribution of trajectories (p=.016). Never-concussed controls more consistently showed “V-shaped” (decrease from initial to 3-month connectivity then increase from 3-month to 12-month) while youth recovered from concussion demonstrated a mixture of increasing, “A-shaped” and “V-shaped” trajectories. Conclusions: Compared to never-concussed controls, youth recovered from concussion were less likely to show decreases in somatomotor-DAN connectivity over a 3-month or 12-month window. Given that some of the scan data were obtained from rest blocks within an overt motor task paradigm as well as prior reports of impaired motor learning after concussion, differences in motor learning may contribute to our findings. The pattern of decrease in connectivity in controls between initial and 3-months may suggest more efficiency in task completion at 3 months due to motor learning which occurred during task performance during the initial scan. Future research should examine longitudinal changes in connectivity along with task performance to improve understanding of the relationship between subtle motor deficits and these trajectories in functional brain connectivity.

Poster

02/15/2024
12:00 pm - 01:15 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 04: Neuroimaging | Neurostimulation/Neuromodulation | Teleneuropsychology/Technology

Final Abstract #10

Comparing Trajectories of Somatomotor-Dorsal Attention Network Connectivity in Youth Recently Recovered from Concussion and Controls.

Nishta Amin, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States
Hsuan-Wei Chen, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States
Tyler Busch, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States
Mary Nebel, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States
Stacy Suskauer, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States
Beth Slomine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States
Adrian Svingos, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, United States

Category: Neurophysiology/EEG/ERP/fMRI

Keyword 1: neuroimaging: functional connectivity
Keyword 2: cognitive rehabilitation
Keyword 3: sports-related neuropsychology

Objective:

Examining functional brain network connectivity after clinical recovery from adolescent concussion may facilitate understanding of physiologic recovery and persisting atypical motor performance. Prior research suggests that youth recovered from concussion show alterations in resting-state connectivity of motor regions with default mode and dorsal attention (DAN) networks; however, there is limited research examining longitudinal changes in the synchrony between these networks. Here, we examine longitudinal changes in somatomotor-DAN connectivity in youth recovered from concussion and never-concussed controls.

Participants and Methods:

Participants included 42 youth ages 10-17 years (M_age=13.33, SD=2.48; 54.8% Male). 13 were clinically recovered from concussion (M_{days since injury}=75.07, SD=34.60) and 29 were never-concussed controls. Participants completed an initial MRI scan (within 6 weeks after medical clearance for those with concussion) and a 3-month follow-up scan.

We aggregated low-motion (0.01-0.10 Hz) fMRI data from a dedicated resting-state scan and separate finger-tapping task scan to yield a minimum of 5 minutes of scan time for each participant (M_{scan time}=14.53 minutes, M_{framewise displacement}=0.34 mm).

We assigned each participant a trajectory (increase or decrease) to reflect the change in somatomotor-DAN connectivity from initial to 3-month scans. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distribution of trajectories between youth recovered from concussion and never-concussed controls.

We followed a similar process for a subset of youth (N=19) who completed a third scan 12 months after the initial scan. Trajectories (increase, decrease, A-shaped or V-shaped) were assigned based on the changes in somatomotor-DAN connectivity from initial to 3-months and then 3-months to 12-months, and a Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distribution of trajectories between groups.

Results:

Youth recovered from concussion and never-concussed controls did not differ significantly in age, sex, race, and maternal education. The distribution of trajectories from initial to 3-months differed significantly between youth recovered from concussion and controls (p=.041). Never-concussed controls were more likely to be assigned a trajectory reflecting a decrease in somatomotor-DAN connectivity from initial to 3-months.

When examining the 12-month timepoint, there continued to be a group difference in distribution of trajectories (p=.016). Never-concussed controls more consistently showed “V-shaped” (decrease from initial to 3-month connectivity then increase from 3-month to 12-month) while youth recovered from concussion demonstrated a mixture of increasing, “A-shaped” and “V-shaped” trajectories.

Conclusions:

Compared to never-concussed controls, youth recovered from concussion were less likely to show decreases in somatomotor-DAN connectivity over a 3-month or 12-month window. Given that some of the scan data were obtained from rest blocks within an overt motor task paradigm as well as prior reports of impaired motor learning after concussion, differences in motor learning may contribute to our findings. The pattern of decrease in connectivity in controls between initial and 3-months may suggest more efficiency in task completion at 3 months due to motor learning which occurred during task performance during the initial scan. Future research should examine longitudinal changes in connectivity along with task performance to improve understanding of the relationship between subtle motor deficits and these trajectories in functional brain connectivity.