ingest cdrApp 2018-03-15T17:17:36.100Z d591f2cd-3da7-4b31-9dd8-ee27dcb6a3ee modifyDatastreamByValue RELS-EXT fedoraAdmin 2018-03-15T17:18:26.418Z Setting exclusive relation addDatastream MD_TECHNICAL fedoraAdmin 2018-03-15T17:18:37.745Z Adding technical metadata derived by FITS addDatastream MD_FULL_TEXT fedoraAdmin 2018-03-15T17:19:02.024Z Adding full text metadata extracted by Apache Tika modifyDatastreamByValue RELS-EXT fedoraAdmin 2018-03-15T17:19:24.870Z Setting exclusive relation modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-05-16T19:42:51.917Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-07-10T20:27:28.806Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-07-17T16:42:41.113Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-08-02T16:47:09.496Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-08-08T16:09:00.810Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-08-14T20:32:56.437Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-08-16T16:18:22.174Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-09-21T13:53:32.394Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-09-26T16:48:00.570Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-10-10T17:07:30.812Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2018-10-11T17:39:54.916Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2019-02-28T00:49:23.553Z modifyDatastreamByValue MD_DESCRIPTIVE cdrApp 2019-03-19T20:06:29.664Z Eleanna Varangis Author Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. Winter 2017 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin M. Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin M. Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin M. Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Degree granting institution Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin M. Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Degree granting institution Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences PERSISTENT NEUROCOGNITIVE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION IN MIDDLE-ADULTHOOD Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin M. Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Psychology Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin M. Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Eleanna Varangis Creator Department of Psychology and Neuroscience College of Arts and Sciences Past studies on the persistent effects of concussions on neurocognitive health have suggested that former athletes in younger and older adulthood are at risk for persistent cognitive impairment, functional neural inefficiency, and loss of structural neural integrity. However, few studies have focused on the effects of concussions on these measures in former athletes in middle-adulthood in order to gain a more complete picture of neurocognitive health in the lifespan of former athletes. The present study utilized a sample of former collegiate athletes to examine neurocognitive health in middle-adulthood via cognitive testing, a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan assessing neural connectivity during a memory binding task, and analysis of white matter integrity along tracts implicated in the neuropathology of concussive and neurodegenerative injury. Based on past research, former athletes with a history of concussions were hypothesized to perform worse on tasks involving high demands on cognitive control and memory, and to show impaired modulation of functional connectivity and compromised structural neural integrity. Results from these analyses showed few differences between athletes with and without a history of concussions: athletes with a history of concussions performed within the normal range on standard cognitive assessments, performed equivalently to athletes with no history of concussions on a task of memory binding, and showed no evidence of reduced white matter integrity. However, former football players with a history of concussions showed inefficient patterns of functional connectivity between a task-relevant and task-irrelevant network. Thus, concussion history may not be consistently associated with widespread neurocognitive dysfunction in middle-adulthood, but it may be associated with inefficient recruitment of cognitive neural networks during a challenging cognitive task. These results have implications for the long-term neurocognitive health of these former football athletes, and raise concerns about the effects of concussion history on more subtle expressions of reduced cognitive reserve throughout the aging process. 2017-12 2017 Cognitive psychology eng Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School Degree granting institution Kelly Giovanello Thesis advisor Kevin M. Guskiewicz Thesis advisor Neil Mulligan Thesis advisor Kathleen Gates Thesis advisor Jessica Cohen Thesis advisor text Varangis_unc_0153D_17385.pdf uuid:0f57ca73-3e43-4730-8559-b023ce572a8d 2019-12-31T00:00:00 2017-11-21T15:30:04Z proquest application/pdf 1366538