There are an estimated 1.7 to 3.8 million Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) each year in the United States. With the high numbers of TBIs, one must be aware of the causes behind TBIs and some of the ways in which to prevent or cure them. TBIs can be classified into two major categories including primary brain injury and secondary brain injury. Primary brain injury is due to immediate or direct damage to the head from whiplash or physical impact while secondary brain injury is a response to primary brain injury such as inflammation and occurs in minutes to days after impact. One of the most common clinical complaints following these different TBI’s is cognitive impairment and vestibular symptoms. Some of the most common vestibular symptoms include dizziness, vertigo, and imbalance which are most likely attributed to damage to the peripheral vestibular structure.
Moreover, in Dr. Foecking’s talk, she explains her experiment on the effects of repetitive mild TMI on vestibular function and found that testosterone treatment enhanced the restoration of vestibular function and improved vestibular neuronal cell counts. Foecking’s study was the first study to demonstrate testosterone-enhancing vestibular functional recovery which suggests a potential therapeutic role for testosterone following TBI’s. In another study titled “A Systematic Review of Testosterone Therapy in Men With Spinal Cord Injury or Traumatic Brain Injury”, Ryan J. McLoughlin and his colleagues provide insights into the use of testosterone therapy in treating patients suffering from TBI which compares to Foeckings’ experiment in a variety of ways.
One way in which McLoughlin’s study compares to Foeckings’ is through the use of testosterone treatment in order to reduce the symptoms of TBI’s. In McLoughlin’s experiment, he continuously gave testosterone gel patches for 12 months to men with TBIs and found that men receiving the testosterone gel patches for 8 weeks showed a greater absolute change in functional independence measure and grip strength. For instance, McLoughlin mentions his testosterone treatment process by stating how “12 months of a testosterone patch of 5-10 mg/day in men with chronic TBI and testosterone deficiency with the maintenance of their usual dietary and physical activity significantly increased total body, trunk, arm, and leg lean tissue mass by 7-10%” (McLoughlin 9). By the male's strength increasing over time, one can recognize the symptoms of TBI getting better rather than getting worse. Testosterone is important in prohibiting pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and stimulating neuroprotective secondary messenger cascades to promote neuroplasticity, regeneration, and synaptic potentiation which is why both McLoughlin and Foecking decided to utilize testosterone for their studies about TBI’s.
Another way in which both studies compare to one another is through the different tests that each scientist performed in order to measure reflexes. For instance, Foecking conducted a variety of tests on mice that received a TBI such as the air righting reflex test, the tail hanging reflex test, and the forelimb reach test. The results of each test showed that the mice with TBI’s were not able to succeed which demonstrates how TBI’s affect vestibular function significantly. In McLoughlin’s experiment, there were numerous tests conducted as well in order to illustrate the effects of TBI’s on males. When McLoughlin administered his testosterone gel patches, he measured the strength reflex within his participants and found that “Testosterone gel 50 mg/day for eight weeks in men with testosterone deficiency and moderate-to-severe TBI less than six months post-TBI exposure improved grip strength by 19.5 pounds while placebo gel in men with TBI and testosterone deficiency only increased grip strength by 5.5 pounds” (McLoughlin 9). By the male's strength reflex increasing over time, one is able to recognize the relationship between testosterone and vestibular function. Likewise, when Foecking administered testosterone treatment in the mice, the reflexes rapidly increased as well which emphasizes the importance of testosterone in treating those suffering from TBI’s.
With traumatic brain injuries rapidly increasing throughout the United States, it is important to recognize and bring awareness to ways in which TBIs can be cured. One way in which TBIs can be treated is through the use of testosterone treatment which is what both Foecking and McLoughlin discovered in their studies. Both scientists focused on vestibular function and found that vestibular symptoms have gotten better over time through the repeated use of testosterone treatment. Therefore, testosterone has become one of the most critical types of treatment for people suffering from TBIs.
References:
McLoughlin R J, Lu Z, Warneryd A C, et al. (January 27, 2023) A Systematic Review of Testosterone Therapy in Men With Spinal Cord Injury or Traumatic Brain Injury. Cureus 15(1): e34264. DOI 10.7759/cureus.34264
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