Serum Neurogranin Measurement as a Biomarker of Central Nervous System Infections: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

The early diagnosis of central nervous system infections is of great importance to minimize morbidity and mortality. Neurogranin is a postsynaptic neural protein, and when the blood-brain barrier is damaged, neurogranin levels increase in both the cerebrospinal fluid and serum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of serum neurogranin and to investigate its utility in the diagnosis of central nervous system infections. This study was conducted as a prospective case-control study of patients diagnosed with meningitis. The study initially included 55 patients, and 15 patients with proven central nervous system infection were ultimately included in the patient group. The results in the patient group were compared with those of the control group of 15 healthy subjects. The 15 patients comprised 4 women and 11 men with a mean cerebrospinal fluid neurogranin level of 432.4 ± 123.5 ng/ml. Correlation analysis revealed a moderate positive correlation between cerebrospinal fluid neurogranin levels and serum neurogranin levels. The mean serum neurogranin level was 198.6 ± 51.7 ng/ml in the control group but was significantly higher at 429.2 ± 104.3 ng/ml in the patient group. In conclusion, it may be useful to measure blood neurogranin levels in patients suspected of having central nervous system infections, especially in those for whom computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or lumbar puncture cannot be performed.