Tumor necrosis factor-α synthesis inhibitor, 3,6'-dithiothalidomide, reverses behavioral impairments induced by minimal traumatic brain injury in mice.

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients do not show clear structural brain defects and, in general, do not require hospitalization, but frequently suffer from long-lasting cognitive, behavioral and emotional difficulties. Although there is no current effective treatment or cure for mTBI, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a cytokine fundamental in the systemic inflammatory process, represents a potential drug target. TNF-α levels increase after mTBI and may induce or exacerbate secondary damage to brain tissue. The present study evaluated the efficacy of the experimental TNF-α synthesis inhibitor, 3,6'-dithiothalidomide, on recovery of mice from mTBI in a closed head weight-drop model that induces an acute elevation in brain TNF-α and an impairment in cognitive performance, as assessed by the Y-maze, by novel object recognition and by passive avoidance paradigms at 72 h and 7 days after injury. These impairments were fully ameliorated in mice that received a one time administration of 3,6'-dithiothalidomide at either a low (28 mg/kg) or high (56 mg/kg) dose provided either 1 h prior to injury, or at 1 or 12 h post-injury. Together, these results implicate TNF-α as a drug target for mTBI and suggests that 3,6'-dithiothalidomide may act as a neuroprotective drug to minimize impairment.