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Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Brain Injury
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Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Brain Injury

Published on: August 5, 2014

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Plasma osteopontin may predict neuroinflammation and the severity of pediatric traumatic brain injury

Ning Gao1, Xiaohui Zhang-Brotzge1, Bushra Wali2

  • 1Department of Pediatrics and Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism : Official Journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
|March 15, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Osteopontin (OPN) shows promise as a blood biomarker for diagnosing and predicting outcomes in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Plasma OPN levels correlate with TBI severity and patient prognosis, outperforming GFAP.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biomarker Discovery
  • Pediatric Traumatology

Background:

  • Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death in children and adolescents.
  • Current diagnostic and prognostic tools for pediatric TBI lack reliable blood-based biomarkers.
  • Osteopontin (OPN), a protein secreted by immune cells, is investigated for its potential role.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate plasma osteopontin (OPN) as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  • To compare the efficacy of OPN against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in pediatric TBI.
  • To investigate the correlation of OPN levels with TBI severity, intracranial lesions, and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Animal models of TBI were used to assess OPN, GFAP, and MMP-9 induction after controlled cortical impact.
  • Plasma OPN and GFAP levels were measured in pediatric TBI patients (n=66) and correlated with clinical data.
  • Longitudinal OPN level monitoring was performed in severe pediatric TBI cases.

Main Results:

  • In mice, OPN and GFAP increased in blood correlating with neurological severity scores (NSS).
  • In children, plasma OPN, but not GFAP, correlated with severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Score ≤ 8) and intracranial lesions.
  • Elevated plasma OPN levels in severe pediatric TBI patients correlated with mortality and need for intensive care.

Conclusions:

  • Plasma osteopontin (OPN) demonstrates potential as a diagnostic biomarker for severe pediatric TBI.
  • OPN shows superior prognostic value compared to GFAP in pediatric TBI, correlating with mortality and resource utilization.
  • OPN may serve as a valuable neuroinflammation-based biomarker for pediatric TBI diagnosis and prognosis.

Keywords:
Diagnostic biomarkerglial fibrillary acidic proteinmicrogliaoutcomespredictive biomarker

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