Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury

Book excerpt: Due to injuries sustained in sports and in combat, interest in TBI has never been greater. Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury will fulfil a gap in our understanding of what is occurring in the brain following injury that can subsequently be detected in biological fluids and imaging. This knowledge will be useful for all researchers and clinicians interested in the biochemical and structural sequelae underpinning clinical manifestations of TBI and help guide appropriate patient management. Current and prospective biomarkers for the assessment of traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly mild TBI, are examined using a multidisciplinary approach involving biochemistry, molecular biology, and clinical chemistry. The book incorporates presentations from outstanding researchers and clinicians in the area and describes advanced proteomic and degradomic technologies in the development of novel biomarker assays. For practical purposes, the focus of this volume is on detection of blood-based biomarkers to improve diagnostic certainty of mild TBI in conjunction with radiological and clinical findings. It represents contributions from internationally-recognized researchers at the forefront of traumatic brain injury many of whom are recipients of grants and contracts from the United States Department of Defense for research specifically on developing diagnostic tests for TBI. The book will be essential reading for scientists, pharmacologists, chemists, medical and graduate students.