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Acute S100B in serum is associated with cognitive symptoms and memory performance 4 months after paediatric mild
Martina Studer1, Barbara Goeggel Simonetti1, Theda Heinks1
1a Department of Paediatric Neurology , Development & Rehabilitation, University Children's Hospital Bern , Bern , Switzerland .
Insights
Serum S100B levels in children after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) correlated with cognitive post-concussive symptoms and verbal memory deficits four months later. S100B is not specific to mTBI and may also elevate after orthopedic injuries.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Neurotraumatology
- Biomarker research
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in children can lead to persistent post-concussive symptoms (PCS).
- Serum S100B is a protein marker investigated for its potential role in brain injury assessment.
- The diagnostic utility of S100B in pediatric mTBI requires further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between acute serum S100B levels and PCS.
- To explore the relationship between S100B and neuropsychological performance 4 months post-injury in pediatric mTBI.
- To compare S100B levels and their correlations in children with mTBI versus orthopedic injuries (OI).
Main Methods:
- Prospective longitudinal study of children aged 6-16 years.
- Inclusion of 36 children with mTBI and 27 children with OI as controls.
- Serum S100B measurement in the acute phase, correlated with PCS and neuropsychological tests at 4 months.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in acute serum S100B between mTBI and OI groups.
- In the mTBI group, S100B correlated significantly with cognitive PCS (r=0.54, p=0.001) and verbal memory (r=-0.47, p=0.006).
- Insignificant positive correlations were observed between S100B and somatic PCS or neuropsychological outcomes in the OI group.
Conclusions:
- Serum S100B is not specific to mTBI and can be elevated in OI.
- A group-specific association exists between S100B and cognitive PCS in pediatric mTBI.
- Further research into S100B as a diagnostic biomarker for pediatric mTBI is warranted.
Objective:
This study explored whether acute serum marker S100B is related with post-concussive symptoms (PCS) and neuropsychological performance 4 months after paediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
Research Design And Methods:
This prospective short-term longitudinal study investigated children (aged 6-16 years) with mTBI (n = 36, 16 males) and children with orthopaedic injuries (OI, n = 27, 18 males) as a control group. S100B in serum was measured during the acute phase and was correlated with parent-rated PCS and neuropsychological performance 4 months after the injury.
Main Outcomes And Results:
The results revealed no between-group difference regarding acute S100B serum concentration. In children after mTBI, group-specific significant Spearman correlations were found between S100B and post-acute cognitive PCS (r = 0.54, p = 0.001) as well as S100B and verbal memory performance (r = -0.47, p = 0.006). In children after OI, there were insignificant positive relations between S100B and post-acute somatic PCS. In addition, insignificant positive correlations were found between neuropsychological outcome and S100B in children after OI.
Conclusions:
S100B was not specific for mild brain injuries and may also be elevated after OI. The group-specific association between S100B and ongoing cognitive PCS in children after mTBI should motivate to examine further the role of S100B as a diagnostic biomarker in paediatric mTBI.

