Novel blood tests for concussion
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Göteborgs Universitet - Sektionen för psykiatri och neurokemi |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 5 000 000 |
| Project duration | November 2014 - October 2017 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
The purpose of the study was to develop new diagnostic tools for concussion. The goal was to develop a blood test that identified neuronal injury in concussion. We have developed a blood test (serum NFL) that distinguishes people with concussion and clinical recovery within 6 days from people with concussion with symptoms longer than 6 days with a diagnostic accuracy of around 90%.
Expected results and effects
This blood test can be used as an additional tool to identify neuronal injury upon a head impact, improve prognostication, and potentially also tell when the brain has recovered following a concussion (here, more research is needed).
Planned approach and implementation
First, the method was developed (Gisslén M, Price RW, Andreasson U, Norgren N, Nilsson S, Hagberg L, Fuchs D, Spudich S, Blennow K, Zetterberg H. EBioMedicine. 2015 Nov 22;3:135-140). Then the method was analytically validated (Kuhle J, Barro C, Andreasson U, Derfuss T, Lindberg R, Sandelius Å, Liman V, Norgren N, Blennow K, Zetterberg H. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2016 Oct 1;54(10):1655-61). Finally, the method underwent clinical validation (PubMed: "Zetterberg + NFL).