Publications & Posters

Elevated Tau In Military Personnel Relates To Chronic Symptoms Following Traumatic Brain Injury

THE JOURNAL OF HEAD TRAUMA REHABILITATION

Pattinson CL, Shahim P, Taylor P, Dunbar K, Guedes VA, Motamedi V, Lai C, Devoto C, Peyer J, Roy MJ and Gill JM.

J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2019 Apr 25.

DOI: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000485

Abstract

Objective:

To understand the relationships between traumatic brain injury (TBI), blood biomarkers, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and postconcussive syndrome symptoms.

Design:

Cross-sectional cohort study using multivariate analyses.

Participants:

One hundred nine military personnel and veterans, both with and without a history of TBI.

Main Measures:

PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C); Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI); Ohio State University TBI Identification Method; Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); Simoa-measured concentrations of tau, amyloid-beta (Aβ) 40, Aβ42, and neurofilament light (NFL).

Results:

Controlling for age, sex, time since last injury (TSLI), and antianxiety/depression medication use, NFL was trending toward being significantly elevated in participants who had sustained 3 or more TBIs compared with those who had sustained 1 or 2 TBIs. Within the TBI group, partial correlations that controlled for age, sex, TSLI, and antianxiety/depression medication use showed that tau concentrations were significantly correlated with greater symptom severity, as measured with the NSI, PCL, and PHQ-9.

Conclusions:

Elevations in tau are associated with symptom severity after TBI, while NFL levels are elevated in those with a history of repetitive TBIs and in military personnel and veterans. This study shows the utility of measuring biomarkers chronically postinjury. Furthermore, there is a critical need for studies of biomarkers longitudinally following TBI.