Head Injury Treatment With Healthy and Advanced Dietary Supplements: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the Tolerability, Safety, and Efficacy of Branched Chain Amino Acids in the Treatment of Concussion in Adolescents and Young Adults

• DOI: 10.1089/neu.2023.0433
• Publication Date: 2024-03-12T07:04:21Z
• Authors: Daniel J. Corwin; Sage R. Myers; Kristy B. Arbogast; Miranda M. Lim; Jonathan E. Elliott; Kristina B. Metzger; Peter LeRoux; Jaclynn Elkind; Hannah Metheny; Jeffrey Berg; Kevin Pettijohn; Christina L. Master; Matthew P. Kirschen; Akiva S. Cohen
• Keywords: Tolerability

Concussion is a common injury in the adolescent and young adult populations. While branched chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation has shown improvements neurocognitive sleep function pre-clinical animal models of mild to moderate traumatic brain (TBI), date, no studies have been performed evaluating efficacy BCAAs concussed adolescents adults. The goal this pilot trial was determine efficacy, tolerability, safety varied doses oral group study conducted as pilot, double-blind, randomized controlled participants ages 11-34 presenting with concussion outpatient clinics (sports medicine primary care), urgent care, emergency departments tertiary care pediatric children's hospital an urban hospital, between 6/24/2014 12/5/2020. Participants were one five arms (placebo 15g, 30g, 45g, 54g BCAA treatment daily) followed for 21 days after enrollment. Outcome measures included daily computerized tests (processing speed, priori outcome; attention, visual learning, working memory), symptom score, physical cognitive activity, sleep/wake alterations, compliance, adverse events. In total, 42 randomized, 38 whom provided analyzable data. We found difference our outcome processing speed arms, however, there significant reduction total score (decrease 4.4 points on 0-54 scale every 500 g drug consumed, p-value trend = 0.0036, [uncorrected]) return activity (increase 0.503 0-5 0.005 [uncorrected]). There serious Eight reporting (not interfering activity) or (limitation event; differences events by arm, only 2 reported (both gastrointestinal) highest (45g 54g) arms. Though limited slow enrollment, small sample size, missing data, provides first demonstration well tolerability adults-- specifically, dose response effect reducing symptoms baseline those treated higher BCAAs. These findings provide important preliminary data inform larger therapy expedite recovery.