Serum Markers of Subclinical Brain Damage in Low-Grade Chronic Concussion and Asymptomatic Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

The early detection of subclinical brain damage (SBD) remains challenging, and its frequency is widely underestimated. Specifically, the identification of subjects who sustain multiple asymptomatic concussions and subjects with asymptomatic cerebral small vessel disease is an urgent task in order to evaluate the cumulative effects of both on the brain—the first induced by low-grade chronic brain trauma and the second by sustained vascular load over the course of decades. Serum markers could be useful in the early detection of subclinical brain damage in order to filter individuals at high risk of developing neurodegenerative and vascular diseases.