Assessing the neuroprotective efficacy of atorvastatin in traumatic brain injury: a systematic review protocol

Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health threat, with an estimated 5.3 million people in the United States alone living with a disability related to TBI (1). The most common therapies for individuals with TBI at this time include supportive measures, direct monitoring and surgical interventions, but the treatment outcomes following TBI are still poor. Atorvastatin is one of 3-hydroxy–3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors commonly used for treatment reduction of low-density lipoprotein and relief of symptoms in cerebrovascular diseases, however, the recent randomized trials in animal models and human subjects have revealed a promising therapeutic effect for its use in the treatment of TBI that has shown a significant alleviation of neurological dysfunctions. Hence, this systematic review will streamline and provide a comprehensive avenue for understanding more about the dynamics of atorvastatin and its neuroprotective efficacy for the treatment of the severity of TBI and the improvement of functional outcomes. This systematic review will follow the 2020 PRISMA guidelines. Information sources will be obtained from electronic databases such as Pubmed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and SCOPUS. All patients with TBI that received Atorvastatin will be included. The review will also include original peer-reviewed research articles addressing the efficacy of Atorvastatin in TBI in English. Ethical approval will not be required as there will be no human participant involvement in this study. The findings from this study will be disseminated at scientific conferences and published in a reputable peer-reviewed journal. Strengths A wide range of study types will be included increasing the pool of information.Accuracy will be upheld as two to three reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts and full texts. Limitations Only studies in English will be included, hence studies in other languages that may be very informative will be excluded.