Pashtun Shahim, MD, PhD

MD, University of Gothenburg
PhD, University of Gothenburg

Dr. Shahim received his medical degree from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2011, and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Gothenburg in 2015. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in traumatic brain injury at the Department of Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis. He also has experience working as physician in the Department of Neurochemistry at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden.

In his current role as a physician-scientist in the Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Dr. Shahim evaluates and treats patients with neurologic conditions, in particular those with traumatic brain injury and he co-directs a multidisciplinary traumatic brain injury team.

Dr. Shahim’s main research interests include discovery, development, and validation of fluid and advanced imaging biomarkers for detection and prognosis of traumatic brain injury and resulting neurodegeneration.

Dr. Shahim has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles, editorials, and a book chapter.

• NIH Clinical Center’s CEO Award for Science, 2019

Shahim P, Zetterberg H, Simrén J, Ashton NJ, Blennow K et al. Association of plasma biomarker levels with CSF concentration and the number and severity of concussion in professional athletes. Neurology. 2022. In press.

Shahim P and Zetterberg H. Neurochemical markers of traumatic brain injury – relevance to acute diagnostics, disease monitoring, and neuropsychiatric outcome prediction. Biological Psychiatry. Doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.10.010. Online ahead of print.

Flynn S, Moore B, Van der Merwe A, Moses A, Lo J, Shahim P et al. Headaches in Traumatic Brain Injury: Improvement over Time, Associations with Quality of Life, and Impact of Migraine-type Headaches. JHTR. 2022. In press.

Dennis EL, Taylor BA, Newsome MR, Troyanskaya M, Abildskov TJ, Betts AM, Bigler ED, Cole J, Davenport N, Duncan T, Gill J, Guedes V, Hinds SR 2nd, Hovenden ES, Kenney K, Pugh MJ, Scheibel RS, Shahim P et al. Advanced brain age in deployment-related traumatic brain injury: A LIMBIC-CENC neuroimaging study. Brain Inj. 2022 Feb 5:1-11. doi:10.1080/02699052.2022.2033844. Online ahead of print.

Gottshall JL, Agyemang AA, O'Neil M, Wei G, Presson A, Hewins B, Fisher D, Mithani S, Shahim P et al. Sleep quality: A common thread linking depression, post-traumatic stress, post-concussive symptoms to biomarkers of neurodegeneration following traumatic brain injury. Brain Inj. 2022 Feb 19:1-11. doi: 10.1080/02699052.2022.2037711. Online ahead of print.

Xu L, Ware JB, Kim JJ, Shahim P et al. Arterial Spin Labeling Reveals Elevated Cerebral Blood Flow with Distinct Clusters of Hypo- and Hyperperfusion after Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma. 2021 Jun 10. doi: 10.1089/neu.2020.7553. Online ahead of print.

Flynn S, Leete J, Shahim P et al. Extracellular vesicle concentrations of glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament light measured 1 year after traumatic brain injury. Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 16;11 (1):3896. Doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82875-0.

Werner JK, Shahim P et al. Poor sleep correlates with biomarkers of neurodegeneration in mild traumatic brain injury patients: a CENC Study. Sleep. 2020 Dec 6;zsaa272. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsaa272. Online a head of print.

Shahim P, Politis A et al. Neurofilament light as a biomarker for traumatic brain injury. Neurology. 2020 Jul 8:10.1212/WNL.0000000000009983. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000009983. Online ahead of print. PMID: 32641538

Shahim P, Politis A et al. Time course and diagnostic utility of NfL, tau, GFAP, and UCH-L1 in subacute and chronic TBI. Neurology. 2020 Jul 8:10.1212/WNL.0000000000009985. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000009985. Online ahead of print.PMID: 32641529

Diaz-Arrastia R, Shahim P, Sandsmark DK. Molecular biomarkers in the neurological ICU: is there a role? Curr Opin Crit Care. 2020 Apr;26(2):103-108. doi: 10.1097/MCC.0000000000000703.PMID: 32004197

Shahim P & Diaz-Arrastia Ramon. Commentary: Longitudinal changes of brain microstructure and function in non-concussed female rugby players. Neurology 2021. 2021 May 18;96(20):968. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000011939.

Deibert E & Shahim P. White matter and concussion: are we on the right tract?. Neurology 2020. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000009934. Online ahead of print. PMID: 32641519.

Shahim P, Gill J, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, et al. Fluid biomarkers for chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Seminars in Neurology. 2020 Aug 2. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1715095. Online ahead of print.

Tschiffely AE, Dams-O’Connor K, Pullman M, Knesaurek K, Knutsen A, Pham DL, Soleimani L, Jordan B, Gordon A, Delman B, Shumyatsky G, Shahim P et al. Brain and blood biomarkers of tauopathy and neuronal injury in humans and rats with neurobehavioral syndromes following blast exposure. Molecular Psychiatry. 2020 Feb 25. doi: 10.1038/s41380-020-0674-z. Online ahead of print. PMID: 32094584

Guedes VA, Kenney K, Shahim P et al. Exosomal neurofilament light: a prognostic biomarker for remote symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury? Neurology. 2020 May 27:10.1212/WNL.0000000000009577. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000009577. Online ahead of print.

Diaz-Arrastia R, Shahim P et al. Molecular biomarkers in the neurological ICU: is there a role?. Curr Opin Crit Care. 2020 Jan 30. doi: 10.1097/ MCC.0000000000000703. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 32004197

Gard A, Lehto N, Engström Å, Shahim P et al. Quality of life of ice hockey players after retirement due to concussion. Concussion. 2020 2020 Aug 4;5(3):CNC78. doi: 10.2217/cnc-2020-0007

Larsen Rolighed J, Kobborg T, Shahim P et al. Serum-neuroproteins, near-infrared spectroscopy, and cognitive outcome after beach-chair shoulder surgery: observational cohort study analyses. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2020. Aug 19. doi: 10.1111/aas.13691. Online a head of print.

Engström Å, Jumisko E, Shahim P et al. Losing the identity of a hockey player: the long-term effects of concussions. Concussion. 2020 May 11;5(2):CNC74. doi: 10.2217/cnc-2019-0014.PMID: 32509326

Siddiqi SH, Trapp NT, Hacker CD, Laumann TO, Kandala S, Hong X, Trillo L, Shahim P et al. Individualized connectome-targeted transcranial magnetic stimulation for neuropsychiatric sequelae of repetitive traumatic brain injury in a retired NFL player. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2019 Summer;31(3):254-263. doi: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.18100230. Epub 2019

Pattinson C, Shahim P, et al. Elevated tau in military personnel relates to chronic symptoms following traumatic brain injury. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2019 Apr 25. doi: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000485.

Shahim P, Sofu K, et al. Cerebrospinal fluid Neurofilament Light is associated with survival in mitochondrial disease patients. Mitochondrion. 2018. July 9.

Gill J, Latour L, Diaz-Arrastia R, Motamedi V, Turtzo C, Shahim P, et al. Glial fibrillary acidic elevation relates to neuroimaging abnormalities after mild TBI. Neurology. 2018 Oct 9;91 (15).

Siddiqi SH, Trapp NT, Hacker CD, Laumann TO, Kandala S, Hong X, Trillo L, Shahim P et al. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Resting State Network Targeting for Treatment-Resistant Depression in Traumatic Brain Injury: a randomized, controlled, double blinded pilot study. J Neurotrauma. 2018 Nov 1. doi: 10.1089/neu.2018.5889. [Epub ahead of print].

Shahim P, Tegner Y, Marklund N, et al. Neurofilament light and tau as blood biomarkers for sports-related concussion. Neurology. 2018 May 15;90(20):e1780-e1788. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000005518. Epub 2018 Apr 13.

Shahim P, Tegner Y, Marklund N, et al. Astroglial activation and amyloid metabolism in human repetitive concussion. Neurology. 2017 Mar 10. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000003816.

Shahim P, Holleran L, Kim JH, Brody DL, et al. Test-retest reliability of high spatial resolution diffusion tensor and diffusion kurtosis imaging. Sci Rep. 2017 Sep 11;7(1):11141. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-11747-3.

Shahim P, Zetterberg H, Tegner Y, et al. Serum neurofilament light as a biomarker for mild traumatic brain injury in contact sports. Neurology. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000003912.

Shahim P, Tegner Y, Gustafsson B, et al. Neurochemical aftermath of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury. JAMA Neurology. 2016 Sep 19. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.2038.

Shahim P, Gren M, Liman V, et al. Serum neurofilament light protein predicts clinical outcome in traumatic brain injury. Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 7; 6:36791. doi: 10.1038/srep36791.

Shahim P, Blennow K, Johansson P, et al. Cerebrospinal fluid stanniocalcin-1 as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Neuromolecular Medicine. 2016 Sep 19.

Shahim P, Lautner R, et al. Neurofilament Protein and Antineurofilament Antibodies Following Traumatic Brain Injury-Reply. JAMA Neurology. 2017 Mar 1;74(3):363-364.

Shahim P, Mattsson N, Macy EM, et al. Serum visinin-like protein-1 in concussed professional ice hockey players. Brain Injury: [BI]. 2015;29(7-8):872-876.

Burman E, Lysholm J, Shahim P, et al. Concussed athletes are more prone to injury both before and after their index concussion. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2016 Mar 16;2(1):e000092. eCollection 2016.

Siman R, Shahim P, Tegner Y, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Smith DH. Serum SNTF Increases in Concussed Professional Ice Hockey Players and Relates to the Severity of Postconcussion Symptoms. J Neurotrauma. Sep 1 2015;32(17):1294-1300.

Shahim P, Linemann T, Inekci D, et al. Serum tau fragments predict return to play in concussed professional ice hockey players. J Neurotrauma. Jan 26 2015.

Shahim P, Tegner Y, Wilson DH, et al. Blood biomarkers for brain injury in concussed professional ice hockey players. JAMA Neurology. Jun 2014;71(6):684-692.

Shahim P, Blennow K, Zetterberg H. Tau, s-100 calcium-binding protein B, and neuron-specific enolase as biomarkers of concussion-reply. JAMA Neurology. Jul 1 2014;71(7):926-927.

Shahim P, Rejdak R, Ksiazek P, et al. Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of beta-amyloid metabolism and neuronal damage in epileptic seizures. European Journal of Neurology: the official journal of the European Federation of Neurological Societies. Mar 2014;21(3):486-491.

Shahim P, Darin N, Andreasson U, et al. Cerebrospinal fluid brain injury biomarkers in children: a multicenter study. Pediatric Neurology. Jul 2013;49(1):31-39 e32.

Shahim P, Månsson JE, Darin N, Zetterberg H, Mattsson N. Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in neurological diseases in children. European Journal of Paediatric Neurology: EJPN: Official Journal of the European Paediatric Neurology Society. Jan 2013;17(1):7-13.

Shahim P, Bochem AE, Mattsson N, et al. Plasma amyloid-beta in patients with Tangier disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: JAD. 2013;35(2):307-312.

Gren M, Shahim P, Lautner R, et al. Blood biomarkers indicate mild neuroaxonal injury and increased amyloid β production after transient hypoxia during breath-hold diving. Brain Injury: [BI]. 2015 Dec;45(4):240-3.

Shahim P, Arnell P, Kvarnström A, et al. Cerebrospinal fluid markers of central nervous system injury in decompression illness- a case-controlled pilot study. Diving Hyperb Med. 2015 Dec;45(4):240-3.