Image: ©iStock/Denes Farkas

(04/24/2025) San Francisco VA and Stanford researchers identified a chemical that promotes brain cell growth after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Using lab-grown cells and an animal model of TBI, the researchers showed a chemical called LM22B-10 improved neuron cell growth, reduced cell death in the injured brain region, reduced anxiety, and improved memory. LM22B-10 activates production of proteins in the brain involved in neuron cell development. The researchers also found administering LM22B-10 to injured rats proved helpful with anxiety and memory but had a negative effect on healthy rats, suggesting that excessive cell growth is useful after a TBI but harmful in an uninjured brain. These findings could have the potential to lead to new drug treatments for TBI. (Neurotrauma Reports, Feb. 17, 2025)