Neuroprotection and Therapeutic Implications of Creatine Supplementation for Brain Injury Complications

Creatine supplementation has not been researched for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) extensively, but studies suggest potential as a neuroprotective agent and potential treatment for brain-injury complications. Patients suffering from TBI experience mitochondrial dysfunction, neuropsychological burden, and deficits in cognitive performance due to malperformance of brain creatine levels, diminished brain Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) levels, glutamate toxicity, and oxidative stress. In this systemic review, the current available research is reviewed to examine the effects of creatine on common sequalae of TBI within children, adolescents, and mice. Past and present data still lacks the knowledge of creatine supplementation for the adult population and military members during TBI. PubMed was searched for studies which assessed the correlation between creatine supplementation of TBI complications. The search strategy yielded 40 results, of which 15 articles were included in this systemic review. The results of the review supported an apparent understanding creatine does offer an obvious benefit to patients suffering from TBI and post-injury complications under specific guidelines. Time and dose dependent metabolic alterations seem to be only exceptionally prevalent when given as a prophylaxis or if given acutely. Results are only clinically significant after a month of supplementation. Although patients may need many therapeutic treatments to recover from TBI, especially in acute resuscitation, creatine shows superior efficacy as a neuroprotective agent in battling the chronic manifestations which lead to oxidative stress and cognitive function post brain injury.