Acute Effects of Sport-Related Concussion on Serum Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein, Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase L1, Total Tau, and Neurofilament Light Measured by a Multiplex Assay

We prospectively evaluated serum concentrations of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin c-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), total tau (T-Tau), and neurofilament light (NF-L) from collegiate athletes at baseline and acutely after sport-related concussion (SRC) using the Quanterix Neurology 4Plex "B" (N4PB) multiplex assay. Uninjured controls were matched on age, sex, race, sport, and concussion history. Clinical outcomes included acute symptom severity, balance, rapid automated naming, computerized cognitive testing, and recovery duration. Baseline ( = 110; median [interquartile range] age = 19 [18-20] years, 54% male, 61% white/Caucasian) and post-SRC ( = 36; median [interquartile range] age = 19 [18-20] years, 50% male, 61% white/Caucasian) blood samples were analyzed. We observed post-SRC elevations from baseline for GFAP ( = 0.001, = 1.7), T-Tau ( = 0.004, = 1.3), and NF-L ( = 0.010, = 1.1). GFAP (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.958, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.927-0.989,