Vitamin C to protect the brain after a traumatic brain injury
Official title: Ascorbate protects brain after TBI by epigenetic modulation of 5-hydroxymethylation
Funded at Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp · NIH-11264779 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is testing whether giving vitamin C after a traumatic brain injury can protect the brain and help adults recover.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX006062-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11264779 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future human trials would be adults who recently experienced an acute traumatic brain injury and are willing to join a clinical study.
✕Less likely to help
People under 21 years old or those with long-standing chronic brain injury are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this early-stage preclinical work.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers are using a laboratory model of adult traumatic brain injury to see if vitamin C reduces later brain damage and improves movement and thinking. They will compare animals given vitamin C with those that are not to measure differences in motor and cognitive recovery. The team will also study chemical changes to DNA called 5-hydroxymethylation that may explain how vitamin C helps brain cells survive. Results are intended to guide whether vitamin C should be tested in future human trials for people with TBI.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If the approach works, it could point to an affordable, widely available treatment to limit brain damage and improve recovery after TBI.
How similar studies have gone: Early animal studies, including the investigators' preliminary mouse work, have shown vitamin C can reduce secondary brain damage, but strong clinical evidence in people with TBI is still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vemuganti, Raghu — Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp
- Study coordinator: Vemuganti, Raghu
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.