Trial reportPloS one2013
Amelioration of acute sequelae of blast induced mild traumatic brain injury by N-acetyl cysteine: a double-blind, placebo controlled study.
Trial report in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 100 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Use of Anti-oxidants to Reduce Sequela of Mild TBI (mTBI) After Blast Exposure
Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial of Intravenous N-Acetylcysteine for the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke
Non-Invasive System to Deliver Therapeutic Hypothermia for Protection Against Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Who cites it
100 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 205 citations in OpenAlex.
- N-Acetylcysteine in Neurological Disorders: A Systematic Review of Clinical and Translational Evidence Across Seven Disorders.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Nutritional interventions to support acute mTBI recovery.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- Pharmacologic Neuroprotection for Functional Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Literature.CNS drugs · 2016Pooled it
- Repurposing of high-dose N-acetylcysteine as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective agent in moderate to severe traumatic brain injury patients: a randomized controlled trial.Inflammopharmacology · 2025Trial
- Effects of N-acetylcysteine on oxidative stress biomarkers, depression, and anxiety symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2023Trial
- A pilot study of oxidative pathways in MS fatigue: randomized trial of N-acetyl cysteine.Annals of clinical and translational neurology · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Ferroptosis in neurological diseases: moving towards therapeutic intervention.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Review
- Hallmarks of headache disorders: part 5 - secondary headaches.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Review
- CCL5/RANTES signaling in inflammation dysregulation after mild traumatic brain injury.Journal of biomedical science · 2026Article
- Targeting neurodegeneration and inflammation with thioredoxin-mimetic peptides.Redox biology · 2025Review
- A novel multimodal pharmacologic approach using guanfacine, N-acetylcysteine, and donepezil in severe TBI: a case series.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2025Article
- Mitochondrial-targeted therapies in traumatic brain injury: From bench to bedside.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025Review
- The evolving pathophysiology of TBI and the advantages of temporally-guided combination therapies.Neurochemistry international · 2024Review
- Mitigating Traumatic Brain Injury: A Narrative Review of Supplementation and Dietary Protocols.Nutrients · 2024Review
- A Modern Approach to the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury.Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Role of Oxidative Stress in Sensorineural Hearing Loss.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Clinical Management in Traumatic Brain Injury.Biomedicines · 2024Review
- Mitochondria-Targeted Antioxidant Therapeutics for Traumatic Brain Injury.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
40 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) secondary to blast exposure is the most common battlefield injury in Southwest Asia. There has been little prospective work in the combat setting to test the efficacy of new countermeasures. The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) versus placebo on the symptoms associated with blast exposure mTBI in a combat setting.
methodsThis study was a randomized double blind, placebo-controlled study that was conducted on active duty service members at a forward deployed field hospital in Iraq. All symptomatic U.S. service members who were exposed to significant ordnance blast and who met the criteria for mTBI were offered participation in the study and 81 individuals agreed to participate. Individuals underwent a baseline evaluation and then were randomly assigned to receive either N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) or placebo for seven days. Each subject was re-evaluated at 3 and 7 days. Outcome measures were the presence of the following sequelae of mTBI: dizziness, hearing loss, headache, memory loss, sleep disturbances, and neurocognitive dysfunction. The resolution of these symptoms seven days after the blast exposure was the main outcome measure in this study. Logistic regression on the outcome of 'no day 7 symptoms' indicated that NAC treatment was significantly better than placebo (OR = 3.6, p = 0.006). Secondary analysis revealed subjects receiving NAC within 24 hours of blast had an 86% chance of symptom resolution with no reported side effects versus 42% for those seen early who received placebo.
conclusionThis study, conducted in an active theatre of war, demonstrates that NAC, a safe pharmaceutical countermeasure, has beneficial effects on the severity and resolution of sequelae of blast induced mTBI. This is the first demonstration of an effective short term countermeasure for mTBI. Further work on long term outcomes and the potential use of NAC in civilian mTBI is warranted.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00822263.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.