14 Mar Sports-Related Concussion Diagnosis Using Blood Biomarker Tau

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Pashtun Shahim, MD
Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory
Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology
Department of Neurochemistry
Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal
Sweden

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?

Dr. Shahim: Sports-related concussion in professional ice hockey players is associated with acute axonal and astroglial injury. Plasma total tau, which is a highly central nervous system-specific protein, is a promising biomarker to be used both in the diagnosis of concussion and in the decision-making when an athlete can be declared fit to return to play.
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Dr. Shahim: The levels of total tau correlated with the duration of post-concussive, and the levels even at 144 h after concussion remained significantly elevated in players with persistent post-concussive symptoms > 6 days compared with the levels after a friendly game.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Shahim: Blood biomarkers, specifically total tau is a promising biomarker to be used in the diagnosis and prognosis of athletes with sports-related concussion, as well as patients seeking emergency clinics due to concussion or mild traumatic brain injury.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Shahim: These results are from an on going multi center study on professional ice hockey players from the Swedish Hockey League. These findings need to be replicated in a larger sample size. The promising results should also be evaluated in relation to general concussion in emergency care units.

Citation:

Blood Biomarkers for Brain Injury in Concussed Professional Ice Hockey Player

Last Updated on March 17, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD