NEURAL PROTEINS AS MARKERS FOR DIAGNOSING STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO BRAIN MATTER IN POST-TRAUMATIC NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDERS.

Objectives to determine the role of neural markers for brain matter damage in cognitive dysfunction after severe traumatic brain injury. A comprehensive study included clinical and laboratory examination, neuropsychological testing, MRI. To identify markers of structural changes in brain substance, neural proteins were identified: glial fibrillary acidic protein and neural cell adhesion molecule. Neural proteins quantification was performed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. 280 patients with severe traumatic brain injuries and moderate neurocognitive disorders (MND) (DSM-V) were examined and divided into two groups according to the pathogenetic mechanisms and neuropsychological profiles. The first group included subjects with MNDs of a primary dysmnestic type (73 persons), the second group presented MNDs of a neurodynamic-dysregulatory type (207 persons). The follow-up period was 6 months, 1 year and 3 years. By the third year, progression of cognitive disorders in the first group was detected in 5% of cases, in the second group - in 10% of cases. The revealed NP dynamic disturbances and their quantitative assessment in clinical groups during the examination allowed specifying structural and functional brain changes to characterize mechanisms of neurocognitive disorder development in traumatic brain injuries. The findings have demonstrated neural proteins can be considered as markers for not only structural, but also neurodynamic processes.