Metabolismo glicolítico cerebral e volume de substância cinzenta em jogadores de futebol profissionais aposentados: um estudo transversal de [18F]FDG-PET/RM

• Autor(a) principal: Aranha, Mateus Rozalem
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Coutinho, Artur Martins, Carneiro, Camila de Godoi, Pastorello, Bruno Fraccini, Studart-Neto, Adalberto, Guariglia, Carla Cristina, Tsunemi, Miriam Harumi [UNESP], Moreira, Everton Luis Santos, Ianof, Jéssica Natuline, Anghinah, Renato, Nitrini, Ricardo, Cerri, Giovanni Guido, Fortea, Juan, Buchpiguel, Carlos Alberto, Leite, Claudia Costa
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1768666; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/248921

BACKGROUND:  Professional soccer athletes are exposed to repetitive head impacts and are at risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy. OBJECTIVE:  To evaluate regional brain glucose metabolism (rBGM) and gray matter (GM) volume in retired soccer players (RSPs). METHODS:  Male RSPs and age and sex-matched controls prospectively enrolled between 2017 and 2019 underwent neurological and neuropsychological evaluations, brain MRI and [18F]FDG-PET in a 3.0-Tesla PET/MRI scanner. Visual analysis was performed by a blinded neuroradiologist and a blinded nuclear physician. Regional brain glucose metabolism and GM volume were assessed using SPM8 software. Groups were compared using appropriate statistical tests available at SPM8 and R. RESULTS:  Nineteen RSPs (median [IQR]: 62 [50-64.5] years old) and 20 controls (60 [48-73] years old) were included. Retired soccer players performed worse on mini-mental state examination, digit span, clock drawing, phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tests, and had reduced rBGM in the left temporal pole (pFDR = 0.008) and the anterior left middle temporal gyrus (pFDR = 0.043). Semantic verbal fluency correlated with rBGM in the right hippocampus, left temporal pole, and posterior left middle temporal gyrus (p ≤ 0.042). Gray matter volume reduction was observed in similar anatomic regions but was less extensive and did not survive correction for multiple comparisons (pFDR ≥ 0.085). Individual [18F]FDG-PET visual analysis revealed seven RSPs with overt hypometabolism in the medial and lateral temporal lobes, frontal lobes, and temporoparietal regions. Retired soccer players had a higher prevalence of septum pellucidum abnormalities on MRI. CONCLUSION:  Retired soccer players had reduced rBGM and GM volume in the temporal lobes and septum pellucidum abnormalities, findings possibly related to repetitive head impacts.