Cognitive outcome in relation to cerebrospinal fluid markers of neuronal and glial cell damage: A prospective study of tick-borne encephalitis.
Ticks and tick-borne diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2026.102673
- PMID
- 42314471
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7165117027
- Study type
- Cohort study
- Publisher
- Publisher unavailable
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Findings suggest that an acute-phase glial biomarker in CSF may help identify tick-borne encephalitis patients at risk of persistent cognitive deficits, which is relevant given the frequency of long-term cognitive sequelae reported in this cohort.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study examined whether acute-phase cerebrospinal fluid and serum biomarkers of neuronal and glial damage are associated with long-term cognitive functioning after tick-borne encephalitis.
Study design
A prospective cohort study enrolling 92 adults with tick-borne encephalitis recruited in Sweden and Lithuania, with biosampling within 14 days of symptom onset and neuropsychological follow-up at six months post-discharge.
Population and setting
Ninety-two adults diagnosed with tick-borne encephalitis, recruited across two European countries (Sweden and Lithuania), with biospecimens collected during the acute phase and cognitive assessment at six months after discharge.
Main findings
Cognitive impairment was common at follow-up, especially affecting verbal working memory and processing speed, and was associated with lower education and older age. CSF GFAP and S100B concentrations were higher among impaired patients, and GFAP, S100B, and tau correlated with poorer psychomotor speed, but only CSF GFAP independently predicted cognitive impairment after adjustment. CSF GFAP showed high specificity (83%) but low sensitivity (35%) in ROC analysis.
Public-health relevance
Findings suggest that an acute-phase glial biomarker in CSF may help identify tick-borne encephalitis patients at risk of persistent cognitive deficits, which is relevant given the frequency of long-term cognitive sequelae reported in this cohort.
Important limitations
This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata; limitations explicitly stated in the original paper are required for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
The article is indexed to tick-borne encephalitis and to Sweden and Lithuania, which may aid its discoverability for users searching regional or disease-specific TBE literature. No connection is made to any live surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 4 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.