Acute Plasma Tau Predicts Prolonged Return to Play After Concussion

Variability of tau levels over time may complicate biomarker’s use.

Neurology Reviews. 2017 February;25(2):17

January 31, 2017|Neurology

More Research Is Needed

“While normally measured in CSF, tau measured in blood could provide the opportunity to assess neurologic injury shortly after concussion, as well as facilitate monitoring of recovery over time,” said Barbara B. Bendlin, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Michael Makdissi, MBBS, PhD, research fellow at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and Adjunct Associate Professor of Rehabilitation, Nutrition, and Sport at the La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre in Australia, in an accompanying editorial.

However, differences in plasma tau levels between athletes and nonathletes; lower plasma tau levels at 24 hours and 72 hours post concussion in athletes with concussion, compared with nonconcussed teammates; variability across players; and fluctuations in plasma tau levels over time in general may complicate the use of the biomarker in concussion management. In addition, tau in plasma may reflect CNS and peripheral nervous system origins.

“This study and others conducted in the sports setting open the door for further evaluation and possible future implementation of blood-based biomarkers for evaluation of concussion,” they said. “Nevertheless, more work is needed before blood-based biomarkers can be used for management of sport-related concussion.”

—Jake Remaly

Acute Plasma Tau Predicts Prolonged Return to Play After Concussion

More Research Is Needed

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