A new way to detect concussions may be here.
Nadia Kounang of CNN is reporting that for the first time, an alternative to the traditional CT Scan has been approved.
“The US Food and Drug Administration has, for the first time, approved a blood test to help detect concussion in adults,” Kounang reported. “The Brain Trauma Indicator test measures two biomarkers: proteins known as UCH-L1 and GFAP that are released upon injury to the brain and pass through the blood-brain barrier. Elevated levels of the proteins can be detected within 15 or 20 minutes of injury. The test can be taken within 12 hours of injury, and results can be obtained within three or four hours.”
Kounang also cited Hank Nordhoff, chairman and CEO of Banyan Biomarkers, who noted that the new test would be significantly less expensive than the CT Scans. She noted that “Where a CT scan can cost $800 to $1,500, Nordhoff predicts that the new test would cost closer to $150.”
Concussion awareness has become far more prevalent over the last decade than in previous years. Perhaps its greatest impact in the sporting world has been seen in the NFL. But in other contact sports like hockey, UFC, and boxing, and now even in youth sports, concussions have become main talking points, as well.
We have to figure that any method that’s cheaper, safer, quicker, and even more accurate will gain the attention of those sports and their governing bodies.