Abstract:
Compelling evidence from animal studies suggest that progesterone plays a role in reducing neuronal damage and enhancing functional recovery by attenuating cerebral edema, blunting cytotoxic events, and facilitating neuronal recovery. However, the role of progesterone in brain recovery has not yet been studied in humans. If progesterone is found to reduce secondary consequences of brain injury and to result in improved outcomes in humans, then use of exogenous progesterone could prove to be an effective early intervention following brain injury. A prospective cohort study design with a match control group will be used to compare and male and female recovery from brain injury and to determine the role of progesterone in recovery of function