Salivary miRNA Expression in Children With Persistent Post-concussive Symptoms

Area of Science:

• Pediatric neurology
• Biomarker discovery
• Molecular biology

Background:

• Persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) affect up to one-third of children after concussion.
• Salivary microRNAs (miRNAs) are being investigated as potential biomarkers for PPCS.
• Longitudinal changes in salivary miRNA expression in concussed children are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify salivary miRNAs with differential expression over time in children diagnosed with concussion.
• To compare miRNA expression profiles between children who develop PPCS and those who do not.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study involving saliva collection at three timepoints post-concussion (within 1 week, 1-2 weeks, and 4 weeks).
• Participants were children aged 11-17 years with a concussion diagnosis.
• Salivary RNA was extracted, and expression levels of 827 miRNAs were measured using quantitative assays.

Main Results:

• 135 saliva samples were collected from 60 children.
• Of 91 analyzed miRNAs, 13 showed significantly different longitudinal expression levels between children with and without PPCS.
• hsa-miR-203a-5p was among the 13 identified miRNAs and consistent with prior findings.

Conclusions:

• Longitudinal analysis revealed distinct salivary miRNA expression patterns in children with and without PPCS.
• Salivary miRNAs represent a promising avenue for developing biomarkers for PPCS in pediatric populations.
• Further replication studies are necessary to validate these findings.