Researchers at Monash University and The Alfred are pioneering a method of analyzing blood samples to diagnose concussion in people aged over 60, the world's most at-risk group for the condition. Concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a significant and escalating public health problem, and older adults experience the highest rates related to hospitalizations and deaths.
Diagnosis and subsequent treatment has always been complicated by difficulty with patients themselves being able to identify and communicate how the injury occurred.
Common concussion symptoms, including memory issues, concentration and fatigue, are also the same as those that present naturally as people age.
Blood biomarker offers clearer concussion clues
The new research, published in JAMA Open Network, found the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in a person's plasma can help indicate whether concussion occurred.
