It may seem counterintuitive, but the injured brain can heal itself too much, medically known as maladaptive neuroplasticity.Imagine now if your brain had a built-in safety switch that prevented this. Scientists have discovered that’s exactly what happens with a protein called CCR5 – a cellular receptor that acts like a biological brake and the loss of which can result in memory loss and impairing recovery after brain trauma.

Maraviroc is a prescription antiretroviral medication originally developed to treat HIV by blocking the virus from entering cells through this same CCR5 receptor. Specifically, the drug works by preventing certain HIV strains from infecting immune cells when used alongside other HIV medications.

As an HIV drug, it was already known to improve neurocognitive functioning. The medication enhances the brain’s natural ability to repair and rewire itself, a capability that would also be greatly impactful for those with brain injuries. In fact, research into TBI and CCR5 on the NIH site shows that studies have spanned nearly a decade, with promising results. For example, multiple studies have shown that “maraviroc blocked CCR5 in mice and boosted the animals’ recovery from traumatic brain injury and stroke.” Dr. S. Thomas Carmichael at UCLA remarked about this connection, stating “this is the first time that a human gene has been linked to a better recovery from stroke.”

Real-world impacts of this treatment are emerging. The story of Debra McVean, featured in a New York Times article on September 4, 2025, documents how she participated in a clinical trial of maraviroc after suffering a stroke that paralyzed her left side. A month later, her neurocognitive skills had healed to the point that she could initiate movement in her fingers.

A study, completed in late August 2025 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40835724/), has validated SeeMe, a computer vision tool that could transform how doctors assess consciousness in comatose brain injury patients. The research from Stony Brook University, started in 2019, demonstrates that SeeMe can detect subtle facial movements indicating awareness days before clinicians recognize recovery signs.

SeeMe uses high-resolution cameras to track facial pore movements with sub-millimeter precision, analyzing responses to voice commands like “open your eyes” or “stick out your tongue.” In tests, the system consistently detected eye-opening responses several days earlier than clinical examination and identified consciousness in significantly more patients compared to standard bedside assessments.

These tests show that this new technology addresses a critical gap in patient care, as many brain injury patients may be covertly conscious despite appearing unresponsive. These micro-movements, invisible to the human eye, correlate with better recovery outcomes and can inform crucial treatment decisions.

Researchers plan to integrate SeeMe with brain monitoring technologies like EEG (electroencephalogram) to develop comprehensive consciousness assessment tools. The hope is that this system could guide rehabilitation timing, facilitate family discussions, and potentially enable communication interfaces for patients previously thought unreachable. As a healthcare advances, SeeMe represents a significant step toward more precise, objective neurological assessment.

A revolutionary change in brain injury classification is emerging from research conducted by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and experts from 14 countries. After 51 years of relying on a single assessment tool, the medical community is implementing the new CBI-M framework, which promises more accurate diagnoses and better treatment outcomes for millions of patients worldwide.

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) has been the gold standard for traumatic brain injury (TBI) assessment since 1974. This system evaluates three areas: eye response, verbal response, and motor response, generating scores from 3-15. Based on these scores, injuries are classified as mild (13-15), moderate (9-12), or severe (3-8). While simple and widely used, the GCS only captures consciousness levels at the time of injury, missing crucial details about brain damage and recovery potential.

The new CBI-M (Clinical, Biomarkers, Imaging, Modifiers) framework, developed through NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke initiative, expands assessment far beyond immediate symptoms. As widely reported in May 2025, research led by Dr. Geoffrey Manley of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) has resulted on a new clinical pillar, which retains GCS scores but adds detailed neurological assessments including amnesia presence and symptom documentation. The biomarker pillar uses blood tests to detect brain tissue damage objectively, while advanced imaging through CT and MRI scans reveals structural injuries. The modifier pillar considers pre-existing conditions, injury mechanisms, and environmental factors affecting recovery.

Both systems use clinical assessment as their foundation, but CBI-M provides multidimensional characterization where GCS offers only basic severity categories. UCSF experts note that CBI-M’s comprehensive approach can potentially reveal that some “mild” injuries are actually complex cases requiring intensive treatment.  Conversely, it may give those with a low GCS score more hope in recovery.

Importantly, NIH research indicates the CBI-M framework can benefit individuals diagnosed years ago, potentially revealing previously overlooked aspects of older injuries and leading to better-tailored treatments for chronic TBI symptoms.

Scientists have discovered a promising new way to help people recover from traumatic brain injuries. Researchers created tiny scaffolds loaded with a special copper compound that showed amazing results in laboratory studies. These scaffolds helped reduce brain swelling, prevented brain cells from dying, and improved both movement and thinking abilities.

One might think copper is just copper, but there’s an important difference between regular copper metal and copper oxide. Regular copper is the shiny, reddish-brown metal you see in pennies and wires. Copper oxide is what forms when copper mixes with oxygen from the air. There are actually two types of copper oxide: one that’s reddish-brown and one that’s black. Only the black type, called copper(II) oxide, helps with brain injuries.

According to 2025 research published on the NIH website, “CuO@PG scaffolds significantly reduce neuronal pyroptosis (a form of programmed cell death), alleviate brain swelling, and improve motor and cognitive functions in animal models.” The treatment works best when given six hours after the injury.

However, copper can be a double-edged sword. While too little copper hurts the brain’s ability to heal, too much can be toxic. As NIH research explains, “copper accumulation in the brain following TBI exacerbates neuronal injury.” That’s why controlled delivery is crucial for safety.