Breakthrough: Discovery on concussions stuns doctors

Scientists have just discovered a new blood test based on certain biomarkers that could allow them to spot concussions days after they happened — and far more reliably, too.

Concussions are difficult to spot early on, as symptoms are often delayed in children (in adults as well, but more rarely). This new blood test could detect concussions up to a week after a potential injury, according to an Orlando Health statement.

Concussions have been a growing concern in the sports world as we have come to understand just how dangerous they can be. Rather than simply a knock on the head that we can just wait to subside, concussions are actually brain injuries that can have long-term impacts. It can lead to difficulties focusing, headaches, and even serious depression, so detecting them properly is of paramount importance so that people can get the treatment they need early on.

The new blood test looks for biomarkers called glial fibrillary acidic proteins (GFAP), which are believed to be unique to the central nervous system and the brain and are released after a brain injury, lingering days later so that doctors can test the blood and see if they’re still there.

“Symptoms of a concussion, or a mild to moderate traumatic brain injury, can be subtle and are often delayed, in many cases by several days,” Linda Papa, MD, MSC, an emergency medicine physician and NIH funded researcher at Orlando Health and lead author of the study, said in the statement. “This could provide doctors with an important tool for simply and accurately diagnosing those patients, particularly children, and making sure they are treated properly.”