Biomarkers Could Help Doctors Diagnose Concussions in Athletes

Swedish researchers studied information about sporting injuries, and found that a protein in the central nervous system could help doctors diagnose concussions and traumatic brain injuries in athletes, and help determine when players can get back to their sport.

The team reports that they found a way to test blood for a protein called total tau, or T-tau for short. They linked the amount of protein in the blood, which is released when the brain is injured, to the severity of the brain injury or concussion, and how well the injury healed.

“We have a biomarker [indicator] that is elevated in the blood of players with a concussion,” said lead researcher Dr. Pashtun Shahim, from the department of neurochemistry at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Molndal. “The level of T-tau within the first hour after concussion correlates with the number of days you have symptoms. We can use this biomarker to both diagnose concussion and to monitor the course of concussion until the patient is free of symptoms.”

Shahim added that watching levels of T-tau drop over time could lead to predictions about concussion symptoms and when they would go away. Symptoms of concussion include dizziness, nausea, memory problems, trouble concentrating, and headaches.

“Identifying a reliable marker that correlates with the severity of brain injury, as well as the recovery, can help track progress and improvements after a concussion, and this can provide an objective measure for safe return to play,” said Dr. Robert Glatter, director of sports medicine and traumatic brain injury in the department of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “This is a very promising study that opens the door to looking at biomarkers that can help us to provide better care to athletes with concussions.”

Researchers looked at concussion data for 288 players in the Swedish hockey league between September 2012 and January 2013. During that time, the group identified 35 players with concussions, 28 of whom were involved in the study. The concussed players had higher levels of T-tau in their blood after their head injury, compared to when the season started.

The highest levels of T-tau were measured within the first hour after the concussion, and began to drop over the next 12 hours. However, levels were still elevated six days after the concussion. Levels of T-tau would drop in conjunction with symptoms beginning to disappear.

“In ice hockey and other contact sports, repeated concussions are common, where the brain has not finished healing after the first blow,” said Henrik Zetterberg of the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, who led the study. “This kind of injury is particularly dangerous, but there have not been any methods for monitoring how a concussion in an athlete heals.”

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Personal Injury Cases Related to Concussions and TBI

If you or a loved one received a concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of negligence on the part of a school, business, or sports league, you may have a personal injury case. The attorneys at Strom Law, LLC can help. We offer free consultations to help get you on the road to recovery, so contact us today. 803.252.4800.