Serum visinin-like protein-1 in concussed professional ice hockey players

Abstract

Primary objective: Visinin-like protein-1 (VILIP-1) has shown potential utility as a biomarker for neuronal injury in cerebrospinal fluid. This study investigated serum VILIP-1 as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in sports-related concussion.

Methods: This multi-centre prospective cohort study involved the 12 teams of the professional ice hockey league in Sweden. A total of 288 players consented to participate in the study. Thirty-five players sustained concussions, of whom 28 underwent repeated blood samplings at 1, 12, 36 and 144 hours after the trauma or when the player returned to play (7–90+ days).

Main outcomes and results: The highest levels of VILIP-1 were measured 1 hour after concussion and the levels decreased during rehabilitation, reaching a minimum level at the 36-hour sampling. However, the levels of serum VILIP-1 at 1 hour after concussion were not significantly higher than pre-season baseline values. Serum levels of VILIP-1 1 hour post-concussion did not correlate with the number of days for the concussion symptoms to resolve. Further, serum levels of VILIP-1 increased after a friendly game in players who were not concussed.

Conclusions: These results provide evidence that serum VILIP-1 may not be a useful biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of sports-related concussion.

• Biomarker
• brain injury
• concussion
• ice hockey
• VILIP-1

Acknowledgments

We thank all study participants and the teams for contributing to this research.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, Centrum för Idrottsforskning and the Emil and Maria Palm Foundation.