Blood Brain Biomarkers

Pinpointing changes to brain tissue using scanning technologies can help doctors diagnose brain damage and disease. But being able to diagnose disorders such as schizophrenia or Alzheimer’s disease with a finger prick of blood would be simpler and quicker. Scientists looking for blood biomarkers that signal problems in the brain are homing in on several candidates. One of them, S100B (labelled here in red and yellow), is produced inside brain cells called oligodendrocytes (green), which are found in large numbers in the corpus callosum – an area of white matter that resembles a sandwich filling between the two brain lobes. Tiny amounts of the protein are enough to help nerves grow, but too much, and inflammation can develop. New research shows that high S100B levels in blood can indicate brain damage, offering doctors hope of a new diagnostic tool for brain disorders, to ensure patients get treatment as quickly as possible.

Written by Caroline Cross

Caroline Cross

Writer

Fascinated by the complexities of the human body, Caroline enjoys writing about biomedical research. She spent much of her research career peering down a microscope at cells and parasites, and is constantly amazed at their beauty.

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• Daniel-Paolo Streitbürger
• Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Germany
• Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license
• Published in PLoS ONE 7(8): e43284