Multicenter Prospective Pilot Study Identifying Thrombomodulin as a Potential Biomarker for Neurocognitive Outcomes...

Background/Objectives: Immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a rare, chronically relapsing disorder that causes life-threatening thrombotic microangiopathy. Many survivors in clinical remission show evidence of ongoing silent cerebral infarction and neurocognitive deficits. Prospective longitudinal studies of this population are needed to acquire a complete understanding of the mechanism behind this ongoing neurologic injury. We aimed to assess the feasibility of a multicenter prospective study of neuropsychological and cognitive function in iTTP survivors in remission and examine novel biomarkers. Methods: We aimed to enroll 50 iTTP patients across three USTMA consortium sites between 2019 and 2022 in a 24-month longitudinal study. Clinical, cognitive, and biomarker assessments, including ADAMTS13 activity, were performed. Results: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we enrolled 38 subjects, and 31 (81.6%) completed closeout evaluations at 24 months. Upon the participants' enrollment in the study, we confirmed previous findings, including high rates of moderate to severe neurocognitive and psychiatric sequelae (anxiety, 47%; depression, 45%; and headaches, 55%). Changes in cognitive function were measurable and included decreased immediate memory and visuospatial abilities. Over this two-year study, we did not see a significant change in neurocognitive findings. There was no association between cognitive function and ADAMTS13 activity; however, we found that the level of soluble thrombomodulin (CD141) was significantly correlated with cognitive impairment. Conclusions: We conclude that a more extensive study is feasible, and at least 5-10 years may be required to detect trends in neurocognitive function. Soluble thrombomodulin is a promising biomarker for cognitive impairment in survivors of iTTP, and it is worthy of additional study.