Can amino acids help children with traumatic brain injury?
Currently, the answer is a positive “maybe.” According to the Ivanhoe medical news website, researchers are hoping that amino acids will treat the brain damage from TBI (in children and adults) that affects cognitive functions. The site reports that the “leading cause of death and disability in young children,” traumatic brain injury, can negatively affect a child’s memory, ability to learn, and other functions of the brain. Currently, according to the site, there is no treatment available for the type of brain damage that results in such decline in brain functions. Based on a study in which mice with brain injuries were fed amino acids, however, hope exists for the brain injury victim suffering from the above-described symptoms. Specifically, the mice were given three BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) in their drinking water. As a result, the BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) contributed to the restoration of the mice’s cognitive abilities. Reports neuroscientist Dr. Akiva S. C
