Traumatic brain injury affects about 2.8 million Americans each year, from concussions that resolve in weeks to severe injuries causing lasting disability. Treatment focuses on preventing further damage, managing symptoms like headaches and memory problems, and helping the brain heal. No drugs are FDA-approved specifically to repair brain injury or speed recovery.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing drugs that reduce inflammation after injury, protect nerve cells from dying, and potentially help the brain form new connections. Studies examine progesterone, statins, and agents targeting specific pathways triggered by trauma. Researchers are also testing devices that stimulate the brain, rehabilitation approaches, and biomarkers to predict who will recover well.
Anti-inflammatory drugs
Several trials test whether reducing inflammation in the hours and days after injury can limit lasting damage. Approaches include repurposed drugs that calm immune responses in the brain.
Brain stimulation
Devices that deliver electrical or magnetic pulses to the brain are being tested to improve memory, attention, and mood after injury. Some can be used at home during recovery.
Biomarker studies
Blood tests measuring proteins released by injured brain cells may predict recovery and help match people to treatments. These markers could also show whether a drug is working.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends on injury severity, time since injury, age, and specific symptoms like headaches or memory problems.
What types of trials are currently open
- Acute treatment trials — Testing drugs given within hours or days of injury to reduce swelling, protect nerve cells, or limit inflammation.
- Recovery trials — Testing medications or supplements weeks to months after injury to improve memory, attention, sleep, or headaches.
- Rehabilitation trials — Comparing different physical therapy, cognitive therapy, or occupational therapy approaches to speed recovery.
- Brain stimulation trials — Testing devices that use electrical pulses or magnetic fields to improve symptoms like depression, memory problems, or fatigue.
- Long-term studies — Following people years after injury to understand lasting effects and what helps people return to work or school.
Recently added Traumatic Brain Injury trials
Complete eye movement tests to assess brain injury recovery
The early prospective study of Traq™ (an investigational binocular ophthalmic neurodiagnostic device) will measure binocular ocular functions (bilateral foveal fixation, foveal binocularity, and fovea-tracked saccadic latency) in normal subjects and those with history of mild-to moderate traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
Share your medical information to help identify vulnerability factors in serious illness
The objective of this prospective multicentre study that recruits altogether 1500 older patients from the university hospitals of Tampere, Kuopio, and Oulu is to explore the clinical significance and detection of causes of generalized vulnerability. The objectives are: O1 - Establish the prevalence of causes of generalized vulnerability among patients diagnosed with severe yet non-malignant diseases and local/locally advanced and advanced cancers, O2 - Study how causes of generalized vulnerability affect the time between the diagnosis and the adoption of a fully palliative treatment line, overall survival, and patient-reported quality of life in older adults severe diseases, and O3 - Evaluate how screening tools commonly used in patients without cancer perform in screening for causes of vulnerability in older adults with cancer
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