Researchers have developed a blood test that could help them diagnose sports-related brain injuries.
A research team found that by testing the blood for the protein tau (T-tau), which is released when the brain is injured, HealthDay reported. The amount of T-tau present could indicate if the athlete has suffered a concussion and help medical experts determine if it is safe for them to continue playing.
"We have a biomarker [indicator] that is elevated in the blood of players with a concussion," lead researcher Dr. Pashtun Shahim, from the department of neurochemistry at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Molndal, told HealthDay. "The level of T-tau within the first hour after concussion correlates with the number of days you have symptoms. We can use this biomarker to both diagnose concussion and to monitor the course of concussion until the patient is free of symptoms."
A study involving hockey players determined this new method could determine if the athlete had suffered a concussion only an hour after the injury occurred, Reuters reported.
"In ice hockey and other contact sports, repeated concussions are common, where the brain has not finished healing after the first blow," Henrik Zetterberg of the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, who led the study, told Reuters. "This kind of injury is particularly dangerous, but there have not been any methods for monitoring how a concussion in an athlete heals."
Frequent concussions can lead to a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is characterized by symptoms such as "loss of cognitive function, dementia, aggression and depression," Reuters reported. Short-term symptoms such as "dizziness, nausea, trouble concentrating, memory problems and headaches" can also occur.
The National Football League in the United States recently agreed to pay $765 million to settle a lawsuit filed by thousands of former athletes who suffered from health consequences as a result of the brain injuries they endured during their sports careers.
"Concussions are a growing international problem," Zetterberg said. "The stakes for the individual athlete are high, and the list of players forced to quit with life-long injury is getting ever longer."
