Mechanistic biomarkers of mild traumatic brain injury
Mechanistic biomarkers of mild traumatic brain injury
Every year, millions of people worldwide sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), commonly known as a concussion. Most people recover well, but some continue to experience symptoms for months or even years, such as headaches, fatigue, and problems with concentration or memory. Shortly after the injury, it remains difficult to predict who will recover well and who will develop persistent symptoms.
Immediately after an mTBI, several biological processes are activated in the body, including inflammation, oxidative stress, and changes in metabolism and gene regulation. These processes leave measurable traces in the blood, known as biomarkers. This thesis of Koen Visser investigated how these biomarkers change after an mTBI and whether measuring them could help to better assess the consequences of the injury and predict recovery. Several of the biomarkers measured were associated with recovery six months after the injury. In particular, a stronger inflammatory response was associated with poorer recovery. In the future, blood tests may help to identify patients at increased risk of persistent symptoms or poor recovery at an earlier stage. This could allow care to be better tailored to the individual patient.