Diagnostic Accuracy of Plasma Biomarkers for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Adults

What is the diagnostic accuracy of plasma biomarkers for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in older adults, and can these biomarkers improve diagnostic certainty in clinically ambiguous mTBI cases?In this cross-sectional study of 89 participants at least 60 years of age, plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) concentrations demonstrated excellent accuracy for discriminating participants with mTBI from healthy controls within 72 hours of injury. In ambiguous suspected mTBI cases, most individuals had elevated GFAP and brain-derived tau concentrations exceeding their personalized age- and sex-adjusted diagnostic cutoffs.These findings suggest that plasma GFAP concentration, interpreted with age- and sex-specific thresholds, can serve as an objective tool for diagnosis of mTBI in older adults, particularly for uncertain presentations.

Corresponding Authors: Gershon Spitz, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia (Gershon.Spitz@monash.edu); Sandy R. Shultz, PhD, Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia (sandy.shultz@monash.edu).

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