January 12, 2026

@michaelokun

Are there blood-based clues that appear after a bump to the head. Check out this 2025 update on TBI biomarkers. What does biofluid-based mean? Biofluid-based refers to substances measured in blood, saliva, urine or other body fluids that can reflect what is happening inside the brain after an injury. Lyons and colleagues describe in a new paper in Brain Communications how biomarkers found in biofluids may help predict post-concussion symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Key Points: - Biofluid biomarkers may help move concussion care beyond subjective symptom checklists and toward objective prediction. - Different symptoms such as headache, sleep problems, dizziness, cognitive issues and mood changes appear to link to different biomarker patterns. - Blood and saliva are especially promising because they are easier to collect repeatedly and non-invasively. My take: This review highlights that concussion recovery frequently is unpredictable. We are likely dealing w/ multiple biological signatures, rather than one single marker. The future will likely hold matching the right biomarker (or groups of biomarkers) to the right symptom at the right time. Here are 5 points that resonated w/ me: 1- Biomarkers may help identify which folks are at risk for prolonged symptoms after injury. 2- Headache, sleep and mood symptoms likely have more distinct biological fingerprints. 3- Blood and saliva testing could be practical tools especially when used outside of specialty centers. 4- Results across studies are promising, however still inconsistent and not ready for routine care. 5- Combining biomarkers w/ clinical evaluation may eventually personalize recovery plans and guide decisions on return to activity. https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/advance-article/doi/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf501/8383851 #michaelokun #tbi #concussion #fixelinstitute