An ultrasensitive blood test that reflects brain damage after acute ischemic stroke and in addition predicts functional consequence. It is a discovery that is anticipated to be of great importance in the longer term. The outcomes were described in a study conducted on the University of Gothenburg.

The study, published within the journal Neurology, was conducted by a bunch of researchers from the Sahlgrenska Academy on the University of Gothenburg, led by professors Kaj Blennow and Christina Jern.

Last yr, Professor Blennow’s research team developed a recent blood test to measure the protein BD-tau (brain-derived tau), which reflects the distribution of neurons within the central nervous system in Alzheimer’s disease. It is a key discovery for a future tool to trace and monitor the course of the disease.

The aim of the present study was to check whether the identical biomarker could also reflect neuronal damage after acute ischemic stroke, essentially the most common type of stroke attributable to oxygen deprivation within the brain following a blood clot.

Higher BD-tau – more unfavorable result

Researchers found that higher blood levels of BD-tau through the acute phase of ischemic stroke increased the chance of more serious complications after three months within the study group of greater than 800 stroke patients.

The outcomes were independent of two clinical variables which are considered the most effective predictors of ischemic stroke consequence – age and stroke severity – in keeping with the established NIH Stroke Scale. The outcomes were also adjusted for gender and day of blood collection.

The study’s first two authors are Associate Professor Tara Stanne, a stroke researcher on the Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Fernando Gonzalez-Ortiz, a PhD student on the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry and a physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

Great potential for clinical implementation in stroke

Currently, there are not any blood biomarkers that accurately reflect acute neuronal damage after stroke or that will be used to predict clinical outcomes in stroke patients.”

Fernando Gonzalez-Ortiz, PhD student on the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry and physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital

“Our paper is the primary report of a blood biomarker that is really specific for acute neuronal damage within the brain in ischemic stroke,” adds Tara Stanne. “The outcomes indicate that BD-tau functions as a biomarker for many ischemic stroke subgroups, which implies it has great potential for future clinical implementation.”

Researchers say increasingly more studies are needed to substantiate the outcomes, in addition to studies involving repeated blood sampling to find out the optimal day of sampling after an acute stroke at which clinical consequence will be predicted.