One in five individuals who suffer a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) experience cognitive and/or psychiatric symptoms at least 1 month after injury with some individuals experiencing symptoms beyond 3 months post-injury. We may be able to improve outcomes by identifying susceptible individuals to tailor monitoring and treatment. However, there are no widely validated blood biomarkers for mTBI prognosis.

Our study consolidates clinical examples of post-mTBI blood biomarkers that have been correlated with cognitive and/or psychiatric outcomes and specify high-yield prognostic biomarkers warranting further study.

Clinical Question: Which blood biomarkers can be used post mTBI/concussion to predict neuropsychiatric outcomes including mood and cognition?