Peripheral markers of brain damage and blood-brain barrier dysfunction.

Purpose: Occurrence of brain damage is frequently associated with abnormal blood-brain barrier (BBB) function. Two brain-specific proteins, S100beta and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) are released systemically in a variety of neurological diseases, but S100beta levels sometimes rise in the absence of neuronal damage, suggesting that S100beta is a marker of BBB rather than neuronal damage.

Methods: We measured both proteins in the serum of patients undergoing iatrogenic BBB disruption with intrarterial mannitol, followed by chemotherapy.