Jo*mar, Good find.

Researchers have been looking for the Holy Grail of blood tests for quite some time. This test will help reduce the doctors' concerns about serious injury that results in intracranial lesions.

"Most patients with a suspected head injury are examined using a neurological scale, called the 15-point Glasgow Coma Scale, followed by a computed tomography or CT scan of the head to detect brain tissue damage, or intracranial lesions, that may require treatment; however, a majority of patients evaluated for mTBI/concussion do not have detectable intracranial lesions after having a CT scan. Availability of a blood test for concussion will help health care professionals determine the need for a CT scan in patients suspected of having mTBI and help prevent unnecessary neuroimaging and associated radiation exposure to patients."
FDA authorizes marketing of first blood test to aid in the evaluation of concussion in adults

Hopefully, doctors will understand the limitations of this test and not use it to diagnose a patient as NOT having suffered a concussion.

This test, if used, will reduce the radiation exposure due to doctors trying to reduce liability by ordering a CT Scan or parents/patients who think they need a CT Scan, just in case. As it is, doctors have ignored the research that a CT Scan should not be done until 48 hours or so after the impact unless severe symptoms exists. Most asymptomatic or minimal symptom bleeds will not show up on imaging until many hours after the impact.

I have a call into Banyan Biomarkers to find out when this test will be available and how much it will cost. Banyan has been working on finding ways to indicate mTBI for 16 years.