Transcriptomics, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), and a spatial motor virtual reality task were integrated using mediation analysis in a novel demonstration of "imaging omics". Data collected in NCAA Division I football athletes cleared for play before in-season training showed significant relationships in a) elevated levels of miR-30d and miR-92a to elevated putamen rCBF, (b) elevated putamen rCBF to compromised balance scores, and (c) compromised balance scores to elevated miRNA levels. rCBF acted as a mediator variable (minimum 70% mediation, significant Sobel's test) between abnormal miRNA levels and compromised balance scores. Given the involvement of these miRNAs in inflammation and immune function, and that vascular perfusion is a component of the inflammatory response, these findings support a chronic inflammatory model of repetitive head acceleration events (HAEs). rCBF, a systems biology measure, was necessary for miRNA to affect behavior. These results suggest miRNA as a potential diagnostic biomarker for repetitive HAEs.
@article{arxiv.1912.02901,
title = {Brain perfusion mediates the relationship between miRNA levels and postural control},
author = {Yufen Chen and Amy A Herrold and Zoran Martinovich and Anne J Blood and Nicole Vike and Alexa E Walter and Jaroslaw Harezlak and Peter H Seidenberg and Manish Bhomia and Barbara Knollmann-Ritschel and James L Reilly and Eric A Nauman and Thomas M Talavage and Linda Papa and Semyon Slobounov and Hans C Breiter},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1912.02901},
year = {2019}
}