a spit test may be the answer to diagnosing concussions
3 minute read
penn state researchers may have a new way to test for concussions.
getty
stay up to date on this topic
a new clinical study is offering hope for an unbiased way for physicians to figure out if someone has a concussion: their spit.
diagnosing someone with a concussion can be tricky. health canada points out that “a concussion can’t be seen on routine image scans, such as an mri, x-ray or ct scan. it is diagnosed by observing changes in the way a person thinks and feels.”
a doctor may perform a neurological evaluation and check a patient’s balance, vision and coordination as well as use cognitive tests that focus on memory and concentration. but, as researchers at penn state college of medicine point out, these tests can be swayed by both physican and patient bias. in the case of athletes in particular, patients may even underreport symptoms such as headache and dizziness to get back to the game as quickly as possible.
reasearchers at penn state tried to find a way around this by looking at genetic material called micro ribonucleic acid (microrna) in saliva samples of 538 participants. about half had reported a concussion within two weeks of starting the study, while the other half had conditions that evoke similar symptoms to concussions such as as exercise-related fatigue, chronic headaches, anxiety and depression.
“analyzing microrna profiles in saliva following a head trauma is a non-invasive way to test for concussion that can’t be influenced by a patient’s feelings or motives,” says dr. steve hicks, associate professor of pediatrics and principal investigator of the study.
the microrna molecules exist in high amounts in the brain, the penn state news release says, and the researchers thought that because of cranial nerves in the mouth, altered microrna levels in spit would be able to show whether or not a patient has a concussion.
earlier research suggests there’s a correlation between microrna levels and brain trauma as microrna might be involved in biological processes such as hypoxia (when your body doesn’t get enough oxygen), cell death, and neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells).
advertisement
their study, which also used statistical modelling and machine learning, helped the scientists figure out which rna changes to look for. the researchers added an additional 200 participants to the study and were able to use changes in rna to “successfully identify” which patients had concussions when compared to other tests involving balance and reaction time. the results of the clinical study was published in the journal clinical and translational medicine in october.
“this method has lots of promising applications,” hicks says. “a rapid, reliable diagnostic means that early, appropriate action can be taken to alleviate the symptoms of patients with concussions.”
in the future, hicks hopes that a test and portable technology could be used by athletic trainers right after an injury happens, emergency responders after accidents or even army medics on the battlefield.
according to health canada, 46,000 children aged 5 to 19 had a concussion in 2016-2017. many of these were sports-related and, depending on age group, linked to hockey, ringette and rugby.
doctors have urged parents, school staff and health professionals not to underestimate concussions. writing in the globe and mail, neurosurgeon karen johnston warned that concussions can “can have nasty, long-term consequences. people with untreated concussion may suffer from headaches and fatigue — sometimes for years. they aren’t as sharp as they should be mentally and they can’t focus.”
studies have also linked concussions to mood disorders and an increase in suicide risk.
monika warzecha is the home page editor at healthing.ca
don’t miss the latest on covid-19, reopening and life. subscribe to healthing’s daily newsletter covid life.
share story
