There are growing concerns about potential delayed, neuropsychiatric consequences (e.g, cognitive decline, mood or anxiety disorders) of sports-related traumatic brain injury (TBI). Autopsy studies of brains from a limited number of former athletes have described characteristic, pathologic changes of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) leading to questions about the relationship between these pathologic and the neuropsychiatric disturbances seen in former athletes. Research in this area will depend on in vivo methods that characterize molecular changes in the brain, linking CTE and other sports-related pathologies with delayed emergence of neuropsychiatric symptoms. In this pilot project we studied former National Football League (NFL) players using new neuroimaging techniques and clinical measures of cognitive functioning. We hypothesized that former NFL players would show molecular and structural changes in medial temporal and parietal lobe structures as well as specific cognitive deficits, namely those of verbal learning and memory. We observed a significant increase in binding of [11C]DPA-713 to the translocator protein (TSPO), a marker of brain injury and repair, in several brain regions, such as the supramarginal gyrus and right amygdala, in 9 former NFL players compared to 9 age-matched, healthy controls. We also observed significant atrophy of the right hippocampus. Finally, we report that these same former players had varied performance on a test of verbal learning and memory, suggesting that these molecular and pathologic changes may play a role in cognitive decline. These results suggest that localized brain injury and repair, indicated by increased [11C]DPA-713 binding to TSPO, may be linked to history of NFL play. [11C]DPA-713 PET is a promising new tool that can be used in future study design to examine further the relationship between TSPO expression in brain injury and repair, selective regional brain atrophy, and the potential link to deficits in verbal learning and memory after NFL play.

Introduction:Though a disproportionate rate of atrophy in the medial temporal lobe (MTA) represents a reliable marker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology, measurement of the MTA is not currently widely used in daily clinical practice. This is mainly because the methods available to date are sophisticated and difficult to implement in clinical practice (volumetric methods), are poorly explored (linear and planimetric methods), or lack objectivity (visual rating). Here, we aimed to compare the results of a manual planimetric measure (the yearly rate of absolute atrophy of the medial temporal lobe, 2D-yrA-MTL) with the results of an automated volumetric measure (the yearly rate of atrophy of the hippocampus, 3D-yrA-H).Methods:A series of 1.5T MRI studies on 290 subjects in the age range of 65–85 years, including patients with AD (n = 100), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n = 100), and matched controls (n = 90) from the AddNeuroMed study, were examined by two independent subgroups of researchers: one in charge of volumetric measures and the other in charge of planimetric measures.Results:The means of both methods were significantly different between AD and the other two diagnostic groups. In the differential diagnosis of AD against controls, 3D-yrA-H performed significantly better than 2D-yrA-MTL while differences were not statistically significant in the differential diagnosis of AD against MCI.Conclusion:Automated volumetry of the hippocampus is superior to manual planimetry of the MTL in the diagnosis of AD. Nevertheless, the 2D-yrAMTL is a simpler method that could be easily implemented in clinical practice when volumetry is not available.

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has led to profound changes in the workplace as well as increases in stress, missed preventive care, and other health concerns. There is limited research since the onset of the pandemic on employees’ primary health concerns and their willingness to engage with workplace health promotion (WHP) programs to address these needs. We conducted this survey about employees’ current health priorities as a first step to exploring whether WHP programs need to evolve to be responsive to employees’ needs at this stage of the pandemic. Design National cross-sectional survey. Setting United States, April 29-May 5, 2022. Subjects 2053 Americans employed part or full time. Measures 17-item online survey assessing demographics, health priorities, and impact of the pandemic on health. Analysis Descriptive statistics, SPSS Version 19. Results Employees’ most common health concerns included work/life balance and stress (each cited by 55%). Nearly half (46%) said their health or well-being was affected by the pandemic; within this group, the most common concerns were stress (66%), anxiety (61%), sleep (49%), and depression (48%). Almost all (94%) indicated they would be open to receiving support from their employers. Conclusion This research is a first step in learning about employees’ current health priorities and how they may have changed. WHP researchers and practitioners can determine how their programs align with current priorities. Our future research will explore employees’ preferences, heath behaviors, and their current workplace environments in more depth.