A newly-published review, appearing in the journal Military Medicine, examined the preclinical and clinical literature of SAMe’s potential role in major depressive disorders, pain disorders, cognition and memory, dementia, and other disorders, all of which are considered possible cluster symptoms involved in mild traumatic brain injury. The authors of the study highlighted the potential benefit that SAMe supplementation might have in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), based on dozens of existing human clinical trials and other studies.
 
SAMe may help with certain post-concussive side effects, the authors of the study said, such as depression, pain, fatigue, and cognition, following the metabolic and pathophysiological changes which are seen in patients who have sustained mTBI. The authors of the study stated that they examined the potential benefits of SAMe in this context due to its favorable safety profile, and the likelihood that SAMe supplementation would be more widely accepted by active-duty service members compared to psychotropic medications.
 
In total, the review encompassed 138 articles, which included 25 clinical studies, 46 preclinical studies, 63 reviews, and 4 case reports.
 
SAMe is a methyl donor, and is involved in the synthesis of various neurotransmitters, among other roles it plays endogenously. It plays a role in cognition and memory, as suggested by preclinical and clinical studies of cognition, according to the authors of the review, and is also involved in DNA methylation, ameliorating cellular energetic imbalances, amino acid alterations, and oxidative stress, which could be implicated in mTBI patients. For these reasons, the researchers point to SAMe as a potential therapeutic substance in treating cognitive complaints seen in mTBI, while also decreasing the risk of developing dementia.
 
While the focus of the article involved studies which covered military-related mTBI, the authors of the study noted that these results should translate to an understanding of mTBI and SAMe in non-military populations, as well. Since the year 2,000, over 413,000 service members have sustained traumatic brain injury, with 83-86% of these cases being classified as mild. Emergent research suggests that exposure to repetitive artillery rounds may be a risk factor for TBI development, even without a clear head injury or alteration of consciousness.
 
“The research on SAMe does not stop, highlighting and coming to light more and more on the implications of its metabolism alterations on our brain health and on our brain’s ability to counteract the negative stimuli during life,” Lorena Carboni, product manager of the brand Adonat Premium SAMe of Gnosis by Lesaffre, said. “This narrative review serves as the rationale for future open-label and double-blind placebo-controlled trials in military mTBI and SAMe.”