Tau, S100B and NSE as Blood Biomarkers in Acute Cerebrovascular Events

Background/Aim: We aimed to analyze the diagnostic value of total tau (T- tau), S-100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) as blood-based biomarkers in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA), and their correlation with symptom severity, infarct size, etiology and outcome. Patients and Methods: A total of 102 patients with stroke and 35 with TIA were analyzed. Subacute (63.8±50.1 h) plasma T-tau was measured with the single-molecule array (Simoa) method and NSE and S100B were evaluated for comparison. We evaluated biomarkers associations with: (i) diagnosis of AIS or TIA, (ii) cerebral infarction volume in the brain computed tomography, (iii) stroke etiology, (iv) clinical stroke severity and (iv) functional outcome after three months. Results: T-tau was higher in patients with stroke [1.0 pg/ml (IQR=0.3-2.2)] than with TIA [0.5 pg/ml (IQR=0.2-1.0), p=0.02]. The levels of S100B were also increased in stroke [0.082 μg/l (IQR=0.049-0.157)] patients compared to TIA patients [0.045 μg/l (IQR=0.03-0.073), p