In this two-year project, Dr. Schwartzkroin will study potential protective therapies in a rat model of traumatic brain injury. He will examine the effects of a ketogenic diet administered both before and after the brain insult, including the potential addictive effects of the diet. In addition, because “enriched environment therapies” have been shown to promote the birth of new brain cells, Dr. Schwartzkroin will study the effects of exposure to such environments. If these simple and inexpensive treatments can reduce the expected brain cell damage associated with traumatic brain injury, and/or prevent the development of abnormal brain excitability, then these therapies could be applied to humans after traumatic brain injury (e.g., soldiers who have received head trauma in conflict).
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