Elevated Axonal Protein Markers Following Repetitive Blast Exposure in Military Personnel

Blast exposures that occur during training are common in military personnel; however, the biomarkers that relate to these subtle injuries is not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the acute biomarkers related to blast injury in a cohort of military personnel exposure to blast-related training. Thirty-four military personnel who participated in the training program were included in this study. Blood samples were collected before and after repetitive blast-related training on days 2 (n = 19) and days 7 (n = 15). Serum concentration (pg/mL) of tau, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL), and phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181) were measured using an ultrasensitive immunoassay platform. We observed that serum p-tau181 concentrations were elevated after exposed to repetitive blast on days 2 (z = -2.983, p = 0.003) and days 7 (z = -2.158, p = 0.031). Serum tau (z = -2.272, p = 0.023) and NfL (z = -2.158, p = 0.031) levels were significantly elevated after exposure to repetitive blasts on days 7. Our findings indicate that blast exposure affects serum biomarkers indicating axonal injury.

Automated summary

This study aimed to identify acute biomarkers related to blast injury in military personnel exposed to blast-related training. The findings indicate that serum concentrations of tau, NfL, and p-tau181 were significantly elevated after repetitive blast exposure, suggesting axonal injury.