Can inflammatory biomarkers predict recovery time after concussion?

Inflammation is one of the known physiological responses to brain injuries of all severities. Thus, novel research published in Neurology aimed to identify whether elevations of specific inflammatory markers could predict recovery time after sport-related concussions.   Researchers reported a raise in IL-1 and IL-6 in high school and college football participants post-concussion when compared with control subjects. These findings may lead to the use of inflammatory biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of acute concussion.  Within the study, 41 participants had experienced concussion (without losing consciousness) during the football season and were matched with 43 control participants who had not experienced a concussion.   To determine which inflammatory biomarkers were present, the team took blood samples from the participants at...