Simple blood test uses biomarkers to detect concussion

Slight concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) make up 90 per cent of brain injuries admitted to hospitals but are notoriously difficult to diagnose without a CT scan. Working with medical staff at hospitals in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville, the researchers used proteomic analyses to identify four proteins in the blood that point to brain injury: H-FABP, Interleukin-10, S100B and GFAP. They then developed a device called TBIcheck that can determine within 10 minutes whether the H-FABP levels in a blood sample are higher than 2.5 nanograms per millilitre, indicating a higher chance of concussion and the need for a CT scan. The work is reported in the journal PLOS ONE.

“We have noticed that the H-FABP level alone makes it possible to confirm that there is no risk of trauma in one third of patients admitted after a shock," said lead-researcher Jean-Charles Sanchez, a professor at UNIGE’s Biomarkers Centre of the Faculty of Medicine.