Calorie reduction to support long-term recovery after traumatic brain injury
Official title: Caloric restriction promotes sustained neurological recovery after TBI
Funded at Baltimore VA Medical Center · NIH-11361887 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A controlled calorie-reduction approach to help people with past traumatic brain injury regain lasting neurological function.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baltimore VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I01RX003379-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11361887 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with a prior traumatic brain injury—especially veterans experiencing chronic neurological or cognitive symptoms—would be the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of TBI or those in the immediate acute phase after injury are unlikely to benefit from this chronic-phase calorie-restriction approach.
What this research studies
This project looks at whether reducing calorie intake can reduce harmful inflammation in the brain and boost repair after traumatic brain injury. Researchers will study how calorie restriction affects microglia (the brain's immune cells) and neuroplasticity using approaches relevant to veterans with chronic TBI. The goal is to shift the brain away from a damaging inflammatory state and toward pathways that restore tissue and cognitive function. If findings translate, the work could point to non-drug lifestyle strategies that help people recover long after their initial injury.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could slow or reverse ongoing brain damage and improve memory, thinking, and daily functioning for people with chronic TBI.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal studies and some early human work suggest calorie restriction can lower inflammation and support brain plasticity, but applying it specifically to chronic TBI is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Baltimore VA Medical Center
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stoica, Bogdan Adrian — Baltimore VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Stoica, Bogdan Adrian
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.