13 May Extracerebral Biomarkers May Not Be Optimal For Monitoring Sports-Related Concussions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Pashtun Shahim, MD
Departement of Neurosurgery,
University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden
Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory
Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology
Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Mölndal Sweden
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Visinin-like protein-1 (VLP-1 or VILIP-1) is a neuronal calcium-sensor protein, originally studied as a stroke marker and identified as a marker of neuronal injury in brain injury models. Increased plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) VILIP-1 hase been reported in Alzheimer’s disease, where CSF VILIP-1 correlates with CSF total tau (T-tau) and with brain volume. Recently, using a novel ultrasensitive method to measure tau in plasma, increased levels of plasma T-tau were found in concussed professional ice hockey players, where the levels correlated with the resolution of post-concussive symptoms and the players returning to play.
The main findings of this study were that VILIP-1 did not increase significantly in serum after sports-related concussion. However, the serum levels of VILIP-1 increased after a friendly game without concussion, signaling extracerebral expression.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Response: The results of this current study provide evidence that serum VILIP-1 may not be a useful biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of sports-related concussion at least over the first week.
Moreover, the findings of this study further strengthen the notion that biomarkers that are expressed extracerebrally may not be optimal for monitoring sports-related concussion.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: Additional studies of VILIP-1 and as yet undiscovered biomarkers will be needed to determine their use to prospectively identify concussion and their ability to predict prognosis.
Citation:
Serum visinin-like protein-1 in concussed professional ice hockey players
Posted online on 8 May 2015.
[wysija_form id=”3″]
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Pashtun Shahim, MD (2015). Extracerebral Biomarkers May Not Be Optimal For Monitoring Sports-Related Concussions
Last Updated on May 13, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD