New concussion blood test

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Now, there's a new test that can show within seconds if a player should be pulled from the game even if they don't have a concussion.


"I've been hit hard hundreds or thousands of times," said Barley, who plays Strong Safety at Baldwin College.

He's Number 29 and he was once pulled from a game after suffering a concussion, but you don't have to be hit that hard to damage your brain.  There's now something called a sub-concussive hit.


"The blood test is based on a molecule called S100B, which is present in the brain but not in blood. When the barrier breaches, the molecule shows up in the blood," explained Dr. Damir Janigro, Director in Cerebrovascular Research at Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute.

And the immune system attacks it.

"The body believes there is a pathogen, bacteria, a fungus, or some other enemy to fight. So the body fights the enemy," Janigro said.

Then it goes into the brain and can attack brain tissue, similar to what happens with Alzheimer's patients.

Right now, Barley's brain is intact.

"But I'm not willing to risk my life over playing a game," he added.

This test could mean he and other players won't have to.

Before, doctors used MRI to see damage from concussion and sub-concussion, but it's not as sensitive as the blood test.   Researchers hope to continue developing the blood test and one day have it used on the sidelines of every game.
