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Ruma Goswami

Possible papers associated with this exact author name in Arrow. This page groups case-insensitive exact name matches and is not a full identity disambiguation profile.

3 papers

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YNICL Journal 2020 Journal Article

Interaction of APOE4 alleles and PET tau imaging in former contact sport athletes

Anna Vasilevskaya
Foad Taghdiri
Charles Burke
Apameh Tarazi
Seyed Ali Naeimi
Mozghan Khodadadi
Ruma Goswami
Christine Sato

BACKGROUND: Genetic polymorphisms like apolipoprotein E (APOE) and microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) genes increase the risk of neurodegeneration. METHODS: 38 former players (age 52.63±14.02) of contact sports underwent neuroimaging, biofluid collection, and comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. The [F-18]AV-1451 tracer signal was compared in the cortical grey matter between APOE4 allele carriers and non-carriers as well as carriers of MAPT H1H1 vs non-H1H1. Participants were then divided into the high (N = 13) and low (N = 13) groups based on cortical PET tau standard uptake value ratios (SUVRs) for comparison. FINDINGS: Cortical grey matter PET tau SUVR values were significantly higher in APOE4 carriers compared to non-carriers (p = 0.020). In contrast, there was no significant difference in SUVR between MAPT H1H1 vs non-H1H1 carrier genes (p = 1.00). There was a significantly higher APOE4 allele frequency in the high cortical grey matter PET tau group, comparing to low cortical grey matter PET tau group (p = 0.048). No significant difference in neuropsychological function was found between APOE4 allele carriers and non-carriers. INTERPRETATION: There is an association between higher cortical grey matter tau burden as seen with [F-18]AV-1451 PET tracer SUVR, and the APOE4 allele in former professional and semi-professional players at high risk of concussions. APOE4 allele may be a risk factor for tau accumulation in former contact sports athletes at high risk of neurodegeneration. FUNDING: Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundations; Weston Brain Institute; Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in ageing; Krembil Research Institute. There was no role of the funders in this study.

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YNICL Journal 2018 Journal Article

The relationship between brain atrophy and cognitive-behavioural symptoms in retired Canadian football players with multiple concussions

Karen Misquitta
Mahsa Dadar
Apameh Tarazi
Mohammed W. Hussain
Mohammed K. Alatwi
Ahmed Ebraheem
Namita Multani
Mozhgan Khodadadi

Multiple concussions, particularly in contact sports, have been associated with cognitive deficits, psychiatric impairment and neurodegenerative diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy. We used volumetric and deformation-based morphometric analyses to test the hypothesis that repeated concussions may be associated with smaller regional brain volumes, poorer cognitive performance and behavioural symptoms among former professional football players compared to healthy controls. This study included fifty-three retired Canadian Football League players, 25 age- and education-matched healthy controls, and controls from the Cambridge Centre for Aging and Neuroscience database for validation. Volumetric analyses revealed greater hippocampal atrophy than expected for age in former athletes with multiple concussions than controls and smaller left hippocampal volume was associated with poorer verbal memory performance in the former athletes. Deformation-based morphometry confirmed smaller bilateral hippocampal volume that was associated with poorer verbal memory performance in athletes. Repeated concussions may lead to greater regional atrophy than expected for age.

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YNIMG Journal 2011 Journal Article

Representation of somatosensory inputs within the cortical autonomic network

Ruma Goswami
Maria Fernanda Frances
J. Kevin Shoemaker

Regions of the cortical autonomic network (CAN) are activated during muscle contraction. However, it is not known to what extent CAN activation patterns reflect muscle sensory inputs, top-down signals from the motor cortex, and/or motor drive to cardiovascular structures. The present study explored the functional representation of somatosensory afferent input within the CAN with an a priori interest in the insula and ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) (n=12). Heart rate (HR) and functional MRI data were acquired during 1) 30s periods of electrical stimulation of the wrist flexors at sub-motor (SUB; Type I, II afferents) and 2) motor thresholds (MOT; Type I, II, III afferents), 3) volitional wrist flexion at 5% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) to match the MOT tension (VOL5%), and 4) volitional handgrip at 35% MVC to elicit tachycardia (VOL35%). Compared with rest, HR did not change during SUB, MOT, or VOL5% but increased during VOL35% (p <0. 001). High frequency HR variability was 29. 42±18. 87ms2 (mean±S. D.) at rest and 39. 85±27. 60ms2 during SUB (p =0. 06). High frequency HR variability was decreased during VOL35% compared to rest (p ≤0. 005). SUB increased activity in the bilateral posterior insula, vMPFC, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), mid-cingulate cortex (MCC), and posterior cingulate cortex. MOT increased activity in the left posterior insula and MCC. During VOL5%, activity increased in the right anterior-mid insula. VOL35% was associated with activity in the bilateral insula as well as vMPFC and subgenual ACC deactivation. These data suggest that the left posterior insula processes sensory input from muscle during passive conditions and specifically that Type I and/or II muscle afferent stimulation during SUB impacts the vMPFC and/or subgenual ACC, regions believed to be involved in brain default mode and parasympathetic activity.

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