The hunt for brain injury treatments has suffered a big disappointment in a major study that found zero benefits from a supplement that the U.S. military had hoped would help wounded troops. The supplement is marketed as a memory booster online and in over-the-counter powders and drinks. It is also widely used by doctors in dozens of countries to treat traumatic brain injuries and strokes, although evidence on whether it works has been mixed. U.S. scientists had high hopes that in large doses it would help speed recovery in patients with brain injuries from car crashes, falls, sports accidents and other causes. But in the most rigorous test yet, citicoline (see-tee-KOH'-leen) worked no better than dummy treatments at reducing forgetfulness, attention problems, difficulty concentrating and other symptoms. "We very much were disappointed," said Dr. Ross Zafonte, the lead author and a traumatic brain injury expert at Harvard Medical School. "We took a therapy that is utilized worldwide and we found that at least its present use should be called into question." The study involved 1,213 patients aged 18 and older hospitalized at eight U.S. trauma centers. They had mild to severe traumatic brain injuries - blows to the head resulting … Continue reading →

CHICAGO The hunt for brain injury treatments has suffered a big disappointment in a major study that found zero benefits from a supplement that the U.S. military had hoped would help wounded troops. The supplement is marketed as a memory booster online and in over-the-counter powders and drinks. It is also widely used by doctors in dozens of countries to treat traumatic brain injuries and strokes, although evidence on whether it works has been mixed. U.S. scientists had high hopes that in large doses it would help speed recovery in patients with brain injuries from car crashes, falls, sports accidents and other causes. But in the most rigorous test yet, citicoline worked no better than dummy treatments at reducing forgetfulness, attention problems, difficulty concentrating and other symptoms. We very much were disappointed, said Dr. Ross Zafonte, the lead author and a traumatic brain injury expert at Harvard Medical School. We took a therapy that is utilized worldwide and we found that at least its present use should be called into question. The study involved 1,213 patients aged 18 and older hospitalized at eight U.S. trauma centers. They had mild to severe traumatic brain injuries blows to the head resulting in … Continue reading →

Public release date: 20-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Tim Sullivan tsullivan11@partners.org 617-573-2918 JAMA and Archives Journals CHICAGO Although approved for use for treating traumatic brain injury (TBI) in nearly 60 countries, use of citicoline in a randomized trial that included more than 1,200 participants with TBI did not result in improvement in functional and cognitive status, according to a study appearing in the November 21 issue of JAMA. "Despite considerable advances in emergency and critical care management of TBI as well as decades of research on potential agents for neuroprotection or enhanced recovery, no effective pharmacotherapy has yet been identified," according to background information in the article. Citicoline, an endogenous (produced within the body) compound, offers potential neuroprotective properties as well as neurorepair post injury. Citicoline is widely available in the United States as a nutraceutical (product that reportedly provides health and medical benefits) and is used by patients with a range of neurologic disorders, yet it has not been evaluated in a large randomized clinical trial for TBI. Ross D. Zafonte, D.O., of Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and colleagues conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy of citicoline for improving … Continue reading →

A dietary supplement sold as a brain stimulant failed to help head trauma patients improve in function and thinking in a study, challenging the drugs use as a treatment option for the condition, researchers said. Patients with traumatic brain injury who were given the supplement, citicoline, scored similarly on function and cognition tests as those given a placebo, according to the study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Previous animal research and pilot clinical studies had suggested the supplement might reduce cerebral injury caused by head trauma, stroke or aging. Citicoline, available as a supplement for more than a decade, is used mostly outside the U.S. for brain injury as well as in stroke and Alzheimers disease, said Ross Zafonte, the lead study author. Todays findings call into question the supplements use for head trauma, he said. We were disappointed to find that it did not appear to make a difference in outcome at 90 and 180 days post-injury, Zafonte, a professor and chairman of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School in Boston and vice president of medical affairs at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, said in a Nov. 19 telephone interview. We are heartened … Continue reading →