New study finds biomarkers in urine predictive of concussion

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A study by Cassandra C. Daisy et al. published in Neurology discovered a new pair of proteins in urine that, along with a single-task gait evaluation, can be used to distinguish concussed athletes from healthy controls with 83.5% accuracy. The proteins Insulin Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) and IGF binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) are distinct from the metabolites analyzed in a urine biomarker study that we covered in a previous newsletter. Proteins are made up of amino acids – one of the many types of metabolites along with peptides, carbohydrates, lipids, phosphates, and more. 

According to an article by Emily Henderson in News Medical, the researchers believe that they found lower levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP5 in concussed athletes due to their involvement in brain injury repair – meaning they would stay in the brain at higher levels rather than being passed through urine. Interestingly, Daisy et al. did not find differences in several known markers of severe brain injury between concussed and non-concussed athletes, with Dr. Daisy emphasizing that “Concussion appears to be very different.”