Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40710373›Full record

ReviewCells2025

Proposing Bromo-Epi-Androsterone (BEA) for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Coad Thomas Dow, Liam Obaid

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cells, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Coad Thomas DowMcPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4301-6101
Liam ObaidKeck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has traditionally been viewed as a psychiatric disorder of fear, memory, and emotional regulation. However, growing evidence implicates systemic and neuroinflammation as key contributors. Individuals with PTSD often exhibit elevated blood levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and C-reactive protein, indicating immune dysregulation. Dysfunctions in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis marked by reduced cortisol levels impair the body's ability to regulate inflammation, allowing persistent immune activation. Circulating cytokines cross a weakened blood-brain barrier and activate microglia, which release additional inflammatory mediators. This neuroinflammatory loop can damage brain circuits critical to emotion processing including the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex, and disrupt neurotransmitter systems like serotonin and glutamate, potentially explaining PTSD symptoms such as hyperarousal and persistent fear memories. Rodent models of PTSD show similar inflammatory profiles, reinforcing the role of neuroinflammation in disease pathology. Bromo-epi-androsterone (BEA), a synthetic analog of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), has shown potent anti-inflammatory effects in clinical trials, significantly reducing IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. By modulating immune activity, BEA represents a promising candidate for mitigating neuroinflammation and its downstream effects in PTSD. These findings support the rationale for initiating clinical trials of BEA as a novel therapeutic intervention for PTSD.

Indexed as

DehydroepiandrosteroneStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticAnimalsHumansHypothalamo-Hypophyseal SystemDehydroepiandrosteroneblood–brain barrierbromo-epi-androsterone (BEA)damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMP)dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)high molecular group box 1 protein (HMGB1)interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)interleukin 6 (Il-6)post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)

Identifiers

PMID40710373
PMCPMC12293543

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.