Researchers found that even one mild blast to the brain can cause very subtle but permanent damage, and urine analysis taken within one week of a mild to TBI can provide faster diagnosis for such injuries. Even at one day post-injury, a simple urine analysis can reveal elevations in the neurotoxin acrolein.
The research paper, titled “Acrolein-mediated Alpha-synuclein Pathology Involvement in the Early Post-injury Pathogenesis of Mild Blast-induced Parkinsonian Neurodegeneration,” was published in July in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. In the research study, a urine analysis tested for an increased elevation of acrolein or oxidative stress within one week following a neurological injury.