Combining impact monitoring mouthguards and blood biomarkers to monitor head impacts among Muay Thai athletes – A case study

Mikael Swarén; Joel Simrén; Hanna Huber; Henrik Zetterberg

JSAMS Plus (Jan 2023)

Combining impact monitoring mouthguards and blood biomarkers to monitor head impacts among Muay Thai athletes – A case study

Mikael Swarén,
Joel Simrén,
Hanna Huber,
Henrik Zetterberg

Affiliations

Mikael Swarén: Swedish Unit for Metrology in Sports, Department of Sports and Health Sciences, School of Health and Welfare, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden; Corresponding author. Dalarna University, 791 88, Falun, Sweden.
Joel Simrén: Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience & Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
Hanna Huber: Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience & Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
Henrik Zetterberg: Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience & Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Chemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden; Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK; Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 2
p. 100044

Abstract

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Objective: To investigate the relationship between head impact characteristics and the levels of blood biomarkers associated with brain injury, neurofilament light (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Methods: Four elite amateur Muay Thai athletes were equipped with impact monitoring mouthguards, collecting linear and rotational acceleration data during a period of eight weeks. Capillary blood samples were collected after each period of sparring sessions to analyse the levels of NfL and GFAP. Results: On a group level, mean GFAP levels were negatively correlated to mean impacts per session (p < 0.05). Two athletes had significant correlations between head impact characteristics and the levels of NfL and/or GFAP. Conclusions: The results indicate that NfL and GFAP might responded differently to linear and rotational accelerations and/or that the effect of different types of accelerations on brain tissue integrity is individual. The methods used could be useful to monitor brain health in different impacts sports.

Published in JSAMS Plus

ISSN: 2772-6967 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Recreation. Leisure: Sports; Medicine: Internal medicine: Special situations and conditions: Sports medicine
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/jsams-plus

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Abstract

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