Pharmacotherapy for mild traumatic brain injury: an overview of the current treatment options

Accounting for 90% of all traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is currently the most frequently seen type of TBI. Although most patients can recover from mTBI, some may suffer from prolonged symptoms for months to years after injury. Growing evidence indicates that mTBI is associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia and Parkinson's disease (PD). Pharmacological interventions are necessary to address the symptoms and avoid the adverse consequences of mTBI.

To provide an overview of the current treatment options, the authors herein review the potential drugs to reduce the secondary damage and symptom-targeted therapy, as well as the ongoing clinical trials of pharmacotherapy for mTBI.

There has been no consensus on pharmacotherapy for mTBI. Several candidates, including n-3 PUFAs, melatonin, NAC, and statins show potential benefits in lessening the secondary injury and improving neurological deficits in preclinic studies, which, however, still need further investigation in clinical trials. The current pharmacotherapy for mTBI is empirical in nature and mainly targets to mitigate the symptoms. Well-designed clinical trials are now warranted to provide high-level evidence.