Why brain nerve fibers keep degenerating after a serious head injury
Mechanisms of Chronic Progressive Axon Degeneration Following TBI
This research explores why nerve fibers in the brain continue to swell and break months or years after a moderate-to-severe head injury and how the injury's location and type change that process.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11160687 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will study how axons (the long fibers that connect brain cells) keep swelling and dying long after a moderate or severe head injury. They will combine detailed 3-D imaging, animal models, and observations from human cases to trace whether damage spreads forward (anterograde) or backward (retrograde) along brain networks. The team will compare focal injuries that kill cell bodies to diffuse injuries that primarily damage connections to see how each leads to ongoing degeneration. The goal is to link the pattern of the initial injury to progressive tissue loss that may underlie long-term cognitive decline.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who have had a moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury, especially those with persistent cognitive problems or imaging signs of axonal damage, would be most relevant.
Not a fit: People whose injuries were only mild concussions or whose symptoms come from unrelated conditions are less likely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to slow or stop ongoing axon loss after TBI and help prevent long-term cognitive decline.
How similar studies have performed: Prior imaging and animal studies have observed long-term axonal loss after TBI, but the precise mechanisms driving progressive degeneration remain largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smith, Douglas Hamilton — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Smith, Douglas Hamilton
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 below.