Changes of serum neuron specific enolase and S100-β protein and their correlations with cognitive impairment in patients with moderate traumatic brain injury

Objective To analyze the correlation of the levels of serum neuron specific enolase (NSE) and S100-β protein with cognitive impairment in patients with moderate traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Methods A retrospective case series study enrolled 87 patients with mTBI treated from January 2015 to October 2016. There were 50 males and 37 females, aged 14-60 years [(37.8±12.6)years]. The Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) was 9-12 points, among which were 9-10 points in 36 cases and 11-12 points in 51. The cognitive function was assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA). The patients with MoCA<26 points were assigned into cognitive impairment group (study group, 54 cases), while the patients with MoCA ≥ 26 points was assigned into non-cognitive-impairment group (control group, 33 cases). The levels of serum NSE and S100-β protein were compared, and the correlation of levels of serum NSE and S100-β protein with cognitive dysfunction (assessed by MoCA and GCS) was analyzed. Results The levels of serum NSE and S100-βprotein were (35.7±11.0)ng/L and (1.8±0.5)ng/L, respectively in study group, which were significant higher than that in control group [(22.6±9.4)ng/L and (1.2±0.5)ng/L, respectively] (P<0.01). The levels of NSE [(33.7±10.0)ng/L] and S100-β [(1.7±0.4)ng/L] in patients with GCS 9-10 points were higher than those of NSE [(19.4±9.0)ng/L]and S100-β [(1.3±0.5)ng/L] in patients with GCS 11-12 points (P<0.01). The levels of serum NSE and S100-β protein in mTBI patients were negatively correlated with the MoCA score (r=-0.693, -0.721, P<0.05) and GCS (r=-0.527, -0.796, P<0.05). Conclusion The levels of serum NSE and S100-β protein are increased, and are correlated to the occurrence of cognitive impairment in patient with mTBI. Key words: Craniocerebral trauma; Cognition disorders; S100-β proteins; Neuron specific enolase