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The Prognostic Role of Candidate Serum Biomarkers in the Post-Acute and Chronic Phases of Disorder of Consciousness: A Preliminary Study

Authors :
Rita Formisano
Mariagrazia D’Ippolito
Marco Giustini
Sheila Catani
Stefania Mondello
Iliana Piccolino
Filomena Iannuzzi
Kevin K. Wang
Ronald L. Hayes
Source :
Brain Sciences, Vol 14, Iss 3, p 239 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Introduction: Serum biomarkers, such as Neurofilament Light (NF-L), Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), Ubiquitin C-terminal Hydrolase (UCH-L1), and Total-tau (T-Tau) have been proposed for outcome prediction in the acute phase of severe traumatic brain injury, but they have been less investigated in patients with prolonged DoC (p-DoC). Methods: We enrolled 25 p-DoC patients according to the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). We identified different time points: injury onset (t0), first blood sampling at admission in Neurorehabilitation (t1), and second blood sampling at discharge (t2). Patients were split into improved (improved level of consciousness from t1 to t2) and not-improved (unchanged or worsened level of consciousness from t1 to t2). Results: All biomarker levels decreased over time, even though each biomarker reveals typical features. Serum GFAP showed a weak correlation between t1 and t2 (p = 0.001), while no correlation was observed for serum NF-L (p = 0.955), UCH-L1 (p = 0.693), and T-Tau (p = 0.535) between t1 and t2. Improved patients showed a significant decrease in the level of NF-L (p = 0.0001), UCH-L1 (p = 0.001), and T-Tau (p = 0.002), but not for serum GFAP (p = 0.283). No significant statistical differences were observed in the not-improved group. Conclusions: A significant correlation was found between the level of consciousness improvement and decreased NF-L, UCH-L1, and T-Tau levels. Future studies on the association of serum biomarkers with neurophysiological and neuroimaging prognostic indicators are recommended.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20763425
Volume :
14
Issue :
3
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Brain Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.9d115c3d21dd41f490803e9b9eae63eb
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14030239