Citation

Ratliff WA, Saykally JN, Mervis RF, Lin X, Cao C, Citron BA. BMC Neurosci. 2019; 20(1): e44.

Affiliation

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Ave., Newark, NJ, 07101, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s12868-019-0525-5

PMID

31438853

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a widespread public health problem and a signature injury of our military in modern conflicts. Despite the long-term effects of even mild brain injuries, an effective treatment remains elusive. Coffee and several of its compounds, including caffeine, have been identified as having neuroprotective effects in studies of neurodegenerative disease. Given the molecular similarities between TBI and neurodegenerative disease, we have devised a study to test a nanocoffee extract in the treatment of a mouse model of mild TBI.

RESULTS: After a single injury and two subsequent injections of nanocoffee, we identified treatment as being associated with improved behavioral outcomes, favorable molecular signaling changes, and dendritic changes suggestive of improved neuronal health.

CONCLUSIONS: We have identified coffee extracts as a potential viable multifaceted treatment approach to target the secondary injury associated with TBI.

Language: en

Keywords

Caffeine; Closed head injury; Coffee; Golgi stain; Traumatic brain injury