Journal article
Serum Tau Fragments Predict Return to Play in Concussed Professional Ice Hockey Players
1 Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology , the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden .1
2 Biomarkers & Research , Nordic Bioscience, Herlev, Denmark .2
3 Division of Medical Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, Luleå University of Technology , Luleå, Sweden .3
4 UCL Institute of Neurology , Queen Square, London, United Kingdom .4
The diagnosis of sports-related concussion is mainly based on subjective clinical symptoms and neuropsychological tests. Therefore, reliable brain injury biomarkers to assess when it is safe to return to play are highly desirable. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of two newly described tau fragments for diagnosis and prognosis of sports-related concussions.
This multi-center prospective cohort study involved all 12 teams of the top professional ice hockey league in Sweden. A total of 288 players consented to participate in the study. Thirty-five players sustained concussions, of whom 28 underwent repeated blood samplings at 1, 12, 36, and 144 h after the trauma, or when the player returned to play (7 to >90 days).
There was no significant increase in the levels of Tau-A in post-concussion samples compared with preseason values. However, serum levels of Tau-C were significantly higher in post-concussion samples compared with preseason. Further, levels of Tau-A correlated with the duration of post-concussive symptoms.
Tau-A in serum, which is newly discovered biomarker, could be used to predict when it is safe to return to play after a sports-related concussion.
| Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. |
| Year: | 2016 |
| Pages: | 1995-1999 |
| ISSN: | 15579042 and 08977151 |
| Types: | Journal article |
| DOI: | 10.1089/neu.2014.3741 |
