"One of the things about swelling in the brain, called cerebral edema from, say, injuries in the battlefield, is...that it can kill somebody if not controlled," says Dr. Stein. "And what progesterone has been shown to do effectively is to basically dramatically reduce inflammation and subsequently swelling," he says.

On top of all this, progesterone and its army of metabolites also interfere with glutamate production, a neurotransmitter that floods regions following a trauma. Glutamate, along with other brain chemicals released in injury, can help overexcite the brain and lead to post-traumatic epileptic seizures. That's why progesterone is sometimes given to women with certain forms of seizures to prevent the triggering of debilitating neuronal "electric storms."


Future studies

But how well the hormone really holds up in preventing lasting damage following TBI will be revealed soon. Dr. Stein says a NINDS-sponsored phase 3 double-blind randomized trial, running at 17 centers and expected to handle upwards of 1,200 patients, should start next month.

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