BCAAs in Concussion 2.0

This study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, therapeutic exploratory clinical trial of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) in the treatment of concussion. The aim of the study is to determine whether administration of high-dose BCAAs compared to placebo promotes concussion recovery.

Annually, approximately 2 million concussions occur in the pediatric and young adult population. Approximately 30% of those diagnosed with concussion will experience persisting symptoms lasting beyond 28 days. Concussion is a heterogeneous injury to the brain that precipitates a complex pathophysiological process that can result in a cascade of deleterious side effects. At present, there are no targeted therapeutics that can mitigate or prevent the deleterious effects of concussion. In preclinical, analysis of ipsilateral hippocampi isolated from mice after traumatic brain injury (TBI) demonstrated that only the concentrations of the three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) (valine, isoleucine, and leucine) were significantly reduced after injury. When these brain-injured animals received dietary supplementation with BCAAs, the concentrations of these amino acids were restored in the injured hippocampus and the injured animals demonstrated significant cognitive improvement to levels comparable to those obtained in non-injured control animals. The pilot study (NCT01860404) provides evidence of BCAAs in concussed adolescents and young adults providing a dose-response effect in reducing concussion symptoms and a return to baseline physical activity in those treated with higher total doses of BCAAs, warranting this larger trial to inform clinical practice around BCAA treatment in concussion.