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Repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in mice triggers a slowly developing cascade of long-term and persistent behavioral deficits and pathological changes
Acta Neuropathologica Communications
  • Xiaoyun Xu, Robarts Research Institute
  • Matthew Cowan, Robarts Research Institute
  • Flavio Beraldo, Robarts Research Institute
  • Amy Schranz, Robarts Research Institute
  • Patrick McCunn, Robarts Research Institute
  • Nicole Geremia, Robarts Research Institute
  • Zalman Brown, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Maitray Patel, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Karen L. Nygard, Biotron Experimental Climate Change Research Centre
  • Reza Khazaee, Biotron Experimental Climate Change Research Centre
  • Lihong Lu, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Xingyu Liu, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Michael J. Strong, Robarts Research Institute
  • Gregory A. Dekaban, Robarts Research Institute
  • Ravi Menon, Robarts Research Institute
  • Robert Bartha, Robarts Research Institute
  • Mark Daley, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Haojie Mao, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Vania Prado, Robarts Research Institute
  • Marco A.M. Prado, Robarts Research Institute
  • Lisa Saksida, Robarts Research Institute
  • Tim Bussey, Robarts Research Institute
  • Arthur Brown, Robarts Research Institute
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2021
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1186/s40478-021-01161-2
Disciplines
Abstract

We have previously reported long-term changes in the brains of non-concussed varsity rugby players using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic imaging (fMRI). Others have reported cognitive deficits in contact sport athletes that have not met the diagnostic criteria for concussion. These results suggest that repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries (rmTBIs) that are not severe enough to meet the diagnostic threshold for concussion, produce long-term consequences. We sought to characterize the neuroimaging, cognitive, pathological and metabolomic changes in a mouse model of rmTBI. Using a closed-skull model of mTBI that when scaled to human leads to rotational and linear accelerations far below what has been reported for sports concussion athletes, we found that 5 daily mTBIs triggered two temporally distinct types of pathological changes. First, during the first days and weeks after injury, the rmTBI produced diffuse axonal injury, a transient inflammatory response and changes in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) that resolved with time. Second, the rmTBI led to pathological changes that were evident months after the injury including: changes in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), altered levels of synaptic proteins, behavioural deficits in attention and spatial memory, accumulations of pathologically phosphorylated tau, altered blood metabolomic profiles and white matter ultrastructural abnormalities. These results indicate that exceedingly mild rmTBI, in mice, triggers processes with pathological consequences observable months after the initial injury.

Citation Information
Xiaoyun Xu, Matthew Cowan, Flavio Beraldo, Amy Schranz, et al.. "Repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in mice triggers a slowly developing cascade of long-term and persistent behavioral deficits and pathological changes" Acta Neuropathologica Communications Vol. 9 Iss. 1 (2021)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/arthur-brown/46/