Synaptotagmin and collapsin response mediator protein as biomarkers for traumatic brain injury

A method of determining the presence of trauma induced brain injury, comprising:

• collecting a biological sample from an injured subject suspected of having the trauma induced brain injury, wherein the biological sample is blood or cerebral spinal fluid (CSF);
• measuring said sample for an amount of at least one biomarker of collapsin response mediator protein-1, -2, -3, -4, or -5 (CRMP), synaptotagmin or at least one CRMP breakdown product (BDP) or synaptotagmin BDP formed by the trauma induced brain injury;
• comparing the amount of the biomarker CRMP or synaptotagmin with an amount of CRMP or synaptotagmin in an uninjured subject, wherein a decreased amount of the CRMP or the synaptotagmin from said injured subject compared with the uninjured subject is indicative of trauma induced brain injury in said injured subject;
• or
• comparing the amount of the biomarker CRMP BDP or synaptotagmin BDP with an amount of the respective BDP in an uninjured subject, wherein synaptotagmin BDP is one or more proteins produced by calpain cleavage between a glycine-lysine (G-K) in the synaptotagmin and wherein the CRMP BDP is one or more proteins produced by calpain cleavage between one or more of serine-serine (S-S), Leu-Tyr (L-Y), tyrosine-aspartic (Y-D) or arginine-glycine (R-G), wherein an increased amount of the CRMP BDP or the synaptotagmin BDP, as compared with the respective amount in the uninjured subject, is indicative of the trauma induced brain injury.