Blood Biomarkers Relate to Cognitive Performance Years after Traumatic Brain Injury in Service Members and Veterans. (9th May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lippa, Sara M.; Gill, Jessica; Brickell, Tracey A.; French, Louis M.; Lange, Rael T.
• Is Part Of: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. Volume 27:Number 5(2021)
• Page Start: 508
• Page End: 514
• Publication Date: 2021-05-09
• Subjects: UCH-L1, -- GFAP, -- Tau, -- NFL, -- Military, -- Mild neurocognitive disorder; Neuropsychology -- Periodicals; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1017/S1355617720001071
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1355-6177

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: This study examines the relationship of serum total tau, neurofilament light (NFL), ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) with neurocognitive performance in service members and veterans with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method: Service members ( n = 488) with a history of uncomplicated mild ( n = 172), complicated mild, moderate, severe, or penetrating TBI (sTBI; n = 126), injured controls ( n = 116), and non-injured controls ( n = 74) prospectively enrolled from Military Treatment Facilities. Participants completed a blood draw and neuropsychological assessment a year or more post-injury. Six neuropsychological composite scores and presence/absence of mild neurocognitive disorder (MNCD) were evaluated. Within each group, stepwise hierarchical regression models were conducted. Results: Within the sTBI group, increased serum UCH-L1 was related to worse immediate memory and delayed memory ( R 2 Δ = .065–.084, p s < .05) performance, while increased GFAP was related to worse perceptual reasoning ( R 2 Δ = .030, p = .036). Unexpectedly, within injured controls, UCH-L1 and GFAP were inversely related to working memory ( R 2 Δ = .052–.071, p s < .05), and NFL was related to executive functioning ( R 2 Δ = .039, p = .021) and MNCD (Exp( B ) = 1.119, p = .029). Conclusions: Results suggest GFAP and UCH-L1 could play a role in predicting poor cognitive outcome following complicated mild and more severe TBI. Further investigation of blood biomarkers and cognition is warranted.