School of Medicine and Health Sciences Poster Presentations
Military Personnel Who Sustain a TBI Have Elevated Concentrations of Aβ40 and Lower Ratios of Aβ42/40 in Peripheral Blood
Poster Number
268
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
3-2016
Abstract
Blunt and blast traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are devastating medical conditions that are prevalent in civilian and military populations, respectively. While these injuries can be mild, moderate, or severe, long-term physical, cognitive, and psychiatric sequelae are suffered across all levels of severity and significantly impact quality of life. Extensive research has been conducted on biomarkers in peripheral blood after TBI, in an effort to identify and ultimately manage medical care by prophylactically treating patients at-risk for developing chronic deficits following TBI. We recently investigated another potential peripheral biomarker for TBI and found that chronic symptoms of TBI were linked to elevated concentrations of tau, one of the two hallmark proteins in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This similar pathology between TBI and AD led us to question the role of amyloid beta (Aβ), the other hallmark protein in AD, in the development of chronic symptoms following TBI.
This study assessed 71 U.S. military personnel, all of whom had been recently deployed. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for concentrations of Aβ40 and Aβ42 using Simoa, an ultrasensitive, single-molecule immunoassay. Symptomatology of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and post-concussive disorder (PCD) were assessed by the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, the PTSD Checklist Military Version, and the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory, respectively. Subjects with a history of TBI (TBI+) were compared to those without a history of TBI (TBI-). TBI+ subjects (n=53) were identified by either self-reporting a TBI on the Warrior Administered Retrospective Casualty Assessment Tool or by having a documented TBI in their medical record, while TBI- subjects (n=18) were classified as controls.
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Open Access
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Military Personnel Who Sustain a TBI Have Elevated Concentrations of Aβ40 and Lower Ratios of Aβ42/40 in Peripheral Blood
Blunt and blast traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are devastating medical conditions that are prevalent in civilian and military populations, respectively. While these injuries can be mild, moderate, or severe, long-term physical, cognitive, and psychiatric sequelae are suffered across all levels of severity and significantly impact quality of life. Extensive research has been conducted on biomarkers in peripheral blood after TBI, in an effort to identify and ultimately manage medical care by prophylactically treating patients at-risk for developing chronic deficits following TBI. We recently investigated another potential peripheral biomarker for TBI and found that chronic symptoms of TBI were linked to elevated concentrations of tau, one of the two hallmark proteins in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This similar pathology between TBI and AD led us to question the role of amyloid beta (Aβ), the other hallmark protein in AD, in the development of chronic symptoms following TBI.
This study assessed 71 U.S. military personnel, all of whom had been recently deployed. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for concentrations of Aβ40 and Aβ42 using Simoa, an ultrasensitive, single-molecule immunoassay. Symptomatology of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and post-concussive disorder (PCD) were assessed by the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, the PTSD Checklist Military Version, and the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory, respectively. Subjects with a history of TBI (TBI+) were compared to those without a history of TBI (TBI-). TBI+ subjects (n=53) were identified by either self-reporting a TBI on the Warrior Administered Retrospective Casualty Assessment Tool or by having a documented TBI in their medical record, while TBI- subjects (n=18) were classified as controls.
Comments
Presented at: GW Research Days 2016