Rethinking recovery in adolescent concussions: Network‐level functional connectivity alterations associated with motor deficits

Adolescents who are clinically recovered from concussion continue to show subtle motor impairment on neurophysiological and behavioral measures. However, there is limited information on brain–behavior relationships of persistent motor impairment following clinical recovery from concussion. We examined the relationship between subtle motor performance and functional connectivity of the brain in adolescents with a history of concussion, status post‐symptom resolution, and subjective return to baseline. Participants included 27 adolescents who were clinically recovered from concussion and 29 never‐concussed, typically developing controls (10–17 years); all participants were examined using the Physical and Neurologic Examination of Subtle Signs (PANESS). Functional connectivity between the default mode network (DMN) or dorsal attention network (DAN) and regions of interest within the motor network was assessed using resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI). Compared to controls, adolescents clinically recovered from concussion showed greater subtle motor deficits as evaluated by the PANESS and increased connectivity between the DMN and left lateral premotor cortex. DMN to left lateral premotor cortex connectivity was significantly correlated with the total PANESS score, with more atypical connectivity associated with more motor abnormalities. This suggests that altered functional connectivity of the brain may underlie subtle motor deficits in adolescents who have clinically recovered from concussion. More investigation is required to understand the persistence and longer‐term clinical relevance of altered functional connectivity and associated subtle motor deficits to inform whether functional connectivity may serve as an important biomarker related to longer‐term outcomes after clinical recovery from concussion.