Serum visinin-like protein-1 in concussed professional ice hockey players.

Primary objective: Visinin-like protein-1 (VILIP-1) has shown potential utility as a biomarker for neuronal injury in cerebrospinal fluid. This study investigated serum VILIP-1 as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in sports-related concussion. Methods: This multi-centre prospective cohort study involved the 12 teams of the professional ice hockey league in Sweden. A total of 288 players consented to participate in the study. Thirty-five players sustained concussions, of whom 28 underwent repeated blood samplings at 1, 12, 36 and 144 hours after the trauma or when the player returned to play (7-90+ days). Main outcomes and results: The highest levels of VILIP-1 were measured 1 hour after concussion and the levels decreased during rehabilitation, reaching a minimum level at the 36-hour sampling. However, the levels of serum VILIP-1 at 1 hour after concussion were not significantly higher than pre-season baseline values. Serum levels of VILIP-1 1 hour post-concussion did not correlate with-the number of days for the concussion symptoms to resolve. Further, serum levels of VILIP-1 increased after a friendly game in players who were not concussed. Conclusions: These results provide evidence that serum VILIP-1 may not be a useful biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of sports-related concussion.