Concussion decreases brain signal variability

BOLD signal variability decreased from baseline to within 48 hours after sports-related concussion in 56 collegiate athletes, especially in the somatomotor and language networks.

• Why it matters: A clinically meaningful neuroimaging biomarker is still lacking, and traditional mean-based measures may miss individual differences that reflect concussion-related brain changes.
• What they did: The study used longitudinal functional brain imaging to quantify temporal BOLD variability across multiple spatial scales, then related pre/post changes to self-reported symptoms and computerized cognitive performance.
• The result: Symptoms increased and cognitive performance declined after concussion, while BOLD variability reductions tracked with changes in symptom reporting and cognitive performance, supporting BOLD variability as a promising biomarker.

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