Anabolic steroids don't appear to contribute to degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma in athletes, according to a study in the January issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
The experimental findings do not support the theory that steroid use by athletes plays a role in the long-term damaging effects of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). The lead author was Dr. James D. Mills of West Virginia University, Morgantown.
No Difference in Effects of Brain Trauma with vs without Steroids
Dr. Mills and colleagues designed an experiment to determine whether treatment with anabolic steroids makes any difference in the effects of brain trauma in rats. It has been suggested that steroids may contribute to the abnormalities seen in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE): a progressive neurodegenerative disease linked to concussions and other forms of MTBI. In recent years, a growing number of cases of CTE have been identified in athletes, especially football players.
Use of anabolic steroids has increased dramatically in recent decades, mainly among athletes seeking a competitive advantage. Because athletes are also at high risk of sustaining concussions or MTBI, it's possible that steroid use could be a factor in the development CTE.
The researchers used a standard technique to induce traumatic brain injury in rats, some of which were treated with anabolic steroids before and after injury. Brainstem specimens were analyzed to compare levels of a protein called beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP): an indicator of brain cell damage caused by MTBI.