Examination of effects of anabolic-androgenic steroid use on rmTBI

                Eileen Foecking and her fellow researchers performed a study that indicates that testosterone demonstrates a therapeutic effect in restoring vestibular function following repetitive mild traumatic brain injury. (rmTBI) Her article also highlights the damage that rmTBI can cause and the long-term effects of that damage. This demonstrates the role of androgens in recovery of function following rmTBI. This raises a simple question- how do drugs that effect androgen expression effect recovery from traumatic brain injuries?

               Anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS’s) are drugs that exacerbate testosterone production within the body. This is commonly used as a treatment for androgen related disorders, such as hypogonadism. AAS’s are commonly abused by adolescents due to their ability to increase muscle growth as a result of the increased testosterone these drugs cause. Current data shows that overuse of these substances can cause mood disorders, such as mania or major depression.

               In a study conducted by Jason Tabor and associates, a possible connection between recovery from rmTBI and AAS use was studied. This experiment was performed on rats by giving some rats Metandienone (or Met, an AAS) and other rats a placebo. Following a concussive injury, the rats were placed into multiple behavioral tests to determine the extent of brain damage following rmTBI and/or Met exposure. The experiment concluded that while rmTBI and AAS overuse can have similar detrimental effects, there is no connection or correlation between the two. This is an important finding, as it shows that testosterones effect on recovery from rmTBI is most likely only important for recovery of vestibular function.

More research should be done in the future to determine the effects of AAS overexposure. Current research indicates that it could play a role in brain atrophy in adolescent development and a plethora of other detrimental effects. However, this experiment shows that it doesn’t play a role in recovering rmTBI, be that positive or negative.

References:

1.   1.         Foecking EM, Segismundo AB, Lotesto KM, Westfall EJ, Bolduan AJ, Peter TK, Wallace DG, Kozlowski DA, Stubbs EB Jr, Marzo SJ, Byram SC. Testosterone treatment restores vestibular function by enhancing neuronal survival in an experimental closed-head repetitive mild traumatic brain injury model. Behav Brain Res. 2022 Sep 5;433:113998. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113998. Epub 2022 Jul 7. PMID: 35809692.

2.       2.     Tabor J, Wright DK, Christensen J, Zamani A, Collins R, Shultz SR, Mychasiuk R. Examining the Effects of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids on Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (RmTBI) Outcomes in Adolescent Rats. Brain Sci. 2020 Apr 28;10(5):258. doi: 10.3390/brainsci10050258. PMID: 32354109; PMCID: PMC7288073.