Grant: Catalyst Grant - Mild Traumatic Brain Injury - Blast-Induced

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is highly prevalent in civilian and military populations yet is frequently undiagnosed and untreated. The symptoms associated with mTBI manifest as neurological disorders including insomnia, anxiety, poor concentration and coping skills. These symptoms have significant impact on quality of life. In military populations, the potential for mTBI is high due to occupational hazards. There have been increasing reports of veterans with mTBI symptoms. It has been suggested that shock waves (also referred to as primary blast) from explosions, such as those occurring from improvised explosive devices, may have potential to cause brain injury in the absence of blunt physical trauma. We have demonstrated that the brain is in fact far more susceptible to primary blasts than other organs (lungs and ear drums) that have previously been used as indicators of blast exposure. One of the leading challenges to treat mTBI is the ability to accurately diagnose its occurrence. We are currently developing a blood-based test to determine whether an individual exposed to a primary blast has endured mTBI. The sensitivity of this test would rival current imaging tests, such as MRIs, which do not have the sensitivity to detect subtle molecular changes in the brain. We have demonstrated that specific regions in the brain are preferentially injured when exposed to primary blasts. We have proposed to examine a group of blood biomarkers (protein fragments from the brain that end up in the blood)to determine whether they reliably predict brain injury from primary blasts. We have also proposed experiments that will demonstrate whether biomarkers can predict outcome after primary blast exposure. The development of a biomarker test for mTBI would be of tremendous value in the clinical setting to diagnose and prioritize treatments to those patients who are most likely to have a poor outcome.