Portland VA Medical Center
Individuals will be recruited from the VA Portland Health Care System and the community affiliated with Oregon Health \& Science University. Traumatic brain injury status will be assessed as a contributing factor. Subjects will be randomized to one of 3 groups (BCAA or one of 2 placebo conditions) and instructed to consume study product twice daily for 21 days. Self-report questionnaires, wrist actigraphy, pressure pain testing, and cognitive function will be assessed pre and post the experimental period.
The goal of this proposal is to explore the feasibility of, and potential for, dietary supplementation with branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) to effect sleep quality and cognitive function in Veterans. The BCAAs (Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine) cannot be synthesized endogenously (i.e., they must be obtained through the diet) and are the precursors to \>50% of de novo glutamate and GABA synthesis in the brain, which are the primary excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters, respectively. Preclinical evidence strongly suggests that dietary BCAA supplementation restores normal sleep-wake patt…
Inclusion Criteria: * Veteran * English Speaking * Accessible via phone * Sleep problems Exclusion Criteria: * Decisional impairment * Nickel allergy * Maple syrup urine disease or family history of disease * Allergy to sucralose * Currently taking BCAAs
60 grams of BCAA (2:1:1 ratio of Leucine:Isoleucine:Valine) consumed in two doses (30 grams each) mixed into 20 oz of water for up to21days (42 total drinks).
60 grams of rice protein consumed in two doses (30 grams each) mixed into 20 oz of water for up to 21days (42 total drinks).
60 grams of microcrystalline cellulose, consumed in two doses (30 grams each) mixed into 20 oz of water for up to 21days (42 total drinks).
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