Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, 27402, USA.
Department of Neurology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-3957, USA.
Sci Rep. 2022 Mar 2;12(1):3439. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-07241-0.
Blood-based biomarkers of brain injury may be useful for monitoring brain health in athletes at risk for concussions. Two putative biomarkers of sport-related concussion, neurofilament light (NfL), an axonal structural protein, and S100 calcium-binding protein beta (S100B), an astrocyte-derived protein, were measured in saliva, a biofluid which can be sampled in an athletic setting without the risks and burdens associated with blood sampled by venipuncture. Samples were collected from men's and women's collegiate water polo players (n = 65) before and after a competitive tournament. Head impacts were measured using sensors previously evaluated for use in water polo, and video recordings were independently reviewed for the purpose of validating impacts recorded by the sensors. Athletes sustained a total of 107 head impacts, all of which were asymptomatic (i.e., no athlete was diagnosed with a concussion or more serious). Post-tournament salivary NfL was directly associated with head impact frequency (RR = 1.151, p = 0.025) and cumulative head impact magnitude (RR = 1.008, p = 0.014), while controlling for baseline salivary NfL. Change in S100B was not associated with head impact exposure (RR < 1.001, p > 0.483). These patterns suggest that repeated head impacts may cause axonal injury, even in asymptomatic athletes.
血液生物标志物可能有助于监测有脑震荡风险的运动员的大脑健康。两种假定的与运动相关脑震荡的生物标志物，神经丝轻链（NfL），一种轴突结构蛋白，和 S100 钙结合蛋白β（S100B），一种星形胶质细胞衍生的蛋白，在唾液中进行了测量，这是一种可以在运动环境中采样的生物液体，没有静脉穿刺采血相关的风险和负担。样本取自男子和女子大学水球运动员（n=65）在比赛前和比赛后。使用以前评估过水球运动的传感器测量头部冲击，并且独立审查视频记录以验证传感器记录的冲击。运动员总共遭受了 107 次头部冲击，均无症状（即，没有运动员被诊断为脑震荡或更严重的疾病）。赛后唾液 NfL 与头部冲击频率直接相关（RR=1.151，p=0.025）和累积头部冲击强度（RR=1.008，p=0.014），同时控制了基线唾液 NfL。S100B 的变化与头部冲击暴露无关（RR<1.001，p>0.483）。这些模式表明，反复的头部冲击可能导致轴突损伤，即使在无症状的运动员中也是如此。
