Brain Injury: New Insights into Mechanisms and Future Promising Treatments—Second Edition

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Neurobiology and Clinical Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2025) | Viewed by 293

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Interests: traumatic brain injury; stroke; neurodegeneration; neuroinflammation; glia; nanotechnology; vesicles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Interests: traumatic brain injury; microglia; neurodegeneration; neuroinflammation; pharmacology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the area of brain injury research continues to evolve rapidly, significant strides have been made in recent years toward understanding the complex pathophysiology of acquired brain injuries. Every year, upwards of 85 million people suffer from brain injuries, primarily caused by trauma or stroke. Nevertheless, the central nervous system remains uniquely challenging to treat due to its complex structure and limited regenerative capacity. Thus far, therapeutic approaches have concentrated on minimizing injury sequelae and maximizing the function of remaining brain tissue, but they have not fully addressed the regeneration and replacement of damaged tissue.

Building upon the foundation of our previous issue, this second-edition Special Issue will focus on recent advancements and emerging strategies, including nanotechnology, tissue engineering, and other innovative approaches, to repair, regenerate, and restore central nervous system functionality. We aim to showcase cutting-edge research from preclinical and clinical studies, as well as comprehensive reviews that contextualize recent breakthroughs.

We invite submissions that investigate novel regenerative and restoration techniques, with an emphasis on bridging neuronal gaps, reconnecting severed neural pathways, and promoting neural tissue regeneration. Additionally, we encourage studies that uncover new insights into the neuropathological molecular mechanisms underlying brain injury, providing a foundation for future targeted therapies.

Through this Special Issue, we hope to provide insight into the research efforts that move us closer to fully functional regenerative solutions for brain injuries. We look forward to your contributions as we collectively advance the science of brain injury treatment and neuroregeneration.

Dr. Kristina Pilipović
Dr. Petra Dolenec
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • acquired brain injury
  • nanomedicine
  • nanotechnology
  • neuroregenerative therapy
  • neurorepair
  • new and emerging treatments
  • pharmacotherapy
  • stroke
  • tissue engineering
  • traumatic brain injury

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

44 pages, 891 KiB  
Review
Aquaporins in Acute Brain Injury: Insights from Clinical and Experimental Studies
by Stelios Kokkoris, Charikleia S. Vrettou, Nikolaos S. Lotsios, Vasileios Issaris, Chrysi Keskinidou, Kostas A. Papavassiliou, Athanasios G. Papavassiliou, Anastasia Kotanidou, Ioanna Dimopoulou and Alice G. Vassiliou
Biomedicines 2025, 13(6), 1406; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13061406 - 7 Jun 2025
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of transmembrane water channel proteins facilitating the transport of water and, in some cases, small solutes such as glycerol, lactate, and urea. In the central nervous system (CNS), several aquaporins play crucial roles in maintaining water homeostasis, modulating [...] Read more.
Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of transmembrane water channel proteins facilitating the transport of water and, in some cases, small solutes such as glycerol, lactate, and urea. In the central nervous system (CNS), several aquaporins play crucial roles in maintaining water homeostasis, modulating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation, regulating energy metabolism, and facilitating neuroprotection under pathological conditions. Among them, AQP2, AQP4, AQP9, and AQP11 have been implicated in traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries. The most abundant aquaporin (AQP) in the brain, AQP4, is essential for fluid regulation, facilitating water transport across the blood–brain barrier and glymphatic clearance. AQP2 is primarily known for its function in the kidneys, but it is also expressed in brain regions related to vasopressin signaling and CSF dynamics. AQP9 acts as a channel for glycerol and lactate, thus playing a role in metabolic adaptation during brain injury. AQP11, an intracellular aquaporin, is involved in oxidative stress responses and cellular homeostasis, with emerging evidence suggesting its role in neuroprotection. Aquaporins play a dual role in brain injury; while they help maintain homeostasis, their dysregulation can exacerbate cerebral edema, metabolic dysfunction, and inflammation. In traumatic brain injury (TBI), aquaporins regulate the formation and resolution of cerebral edema. In non-traumatic brain injuries, including ischemic stroke, aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), aquaporins influence fluid balance, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress responses. Understanding the specific roles of AQP2, AQP4, AQP9, and AQP11 in these brain injuries may lead to new therapeutic strategies to mitigate secondary damage and improve neurological outcomes. This review explores the function of the above aquaporins in both traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries, highlighting their potential and limitations as therapeutic targets for neuroprotection and recovery. Full article
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