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MINI REVIEW article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Translational Neuroscience
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1587222
Implications and Pathophysiology of Neuroinflammation in Pediatric Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: An updated review
Provisionally accepted
Shalin Sandeep Shah 1
Arya J Shetty 1
David Travis Johnston 1 Caroline L Hanan 1
Brendan T O'reilly 1
Max A Skibber 1
Ahmed Taher Massoud 1,2*
Banghe Zhu 3
Eva M Sevick-Muraca 3
Jenifer Juranek 2
Charles S. Cox Jr. 2
Manish N. Shah 1,2- 1 Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
- 2 Department of Pediatric Surgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
- 3 Brown Foundation Institute for Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in children is a profound public health issue with the potential to disrupt cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial development significantly. This review provides an updated examination of the role of neuroinflammation in pediatric TBI, emphasizing its dual impact on injury progression and recovery. Highlighted is the complex interplay of primary and secondary injury mechanisms, including the critical contributions of neuroinflammatory responses mediated by central and peripheral immune cells. Advances in biomarker identification and imaging techniques are discussed, showcasing how tools like diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and positron emission tomography (PET) enhance our understanding of neuroinflammatory processes. The review also explores current therapeutic strategies targeting neuroinflammation, underscoring emerging treatments such as pharmacologic agents that modulate immune responses and novel therapies like stem cell interventions. This comprehensive review seeks to deepen the understanding of neuroinflammation's pathophysiological roles in pediatric TBI and propose directions for future clinical and research efforts.
Keywords: TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury, pediatric TBI, Neuroinflammation, biomarkers, Neuroimaging, Brain Injury
Received: 04 Mar 2025; Accepted: 31 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shah, Shetty, Johnston, Hanan, O'reilly, Skibber, Massoud, Zhu, Sevick-Muraca, Juranek, Cox Jr. and Shah. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ahmed Taher Massoud, Department of Pediatric Surgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, 77030, Texas, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.