Neuron Regeneration and Biomaterials for Concussion Recovery

Abstract: This paper presents a comprehensive review of using neuron regeneration to aid in recovery from concussions and other forms of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), focusing specifically on the use of biomaterials and cells. There are several studies regarding regenerative medicine, but few relate to using neural stem cells (NSCs) and bioengineering to improve recovery after mTBI. This paper evaluates recent studies that explore the use of cells and scaffolds and their impact on motor and cognitive functions after a concussion. Information from 35+ animal studies and clinical trials published between 2013 and 2025 on PubMed focusing on biomaterials, neuron regeneration, and concussions was analyzed. These studies were categorized by the type of scaffold used, primary objective, and outcome. Across the animal studies, evidence shows that extracellular matrix-based hydrogels and scaffolds with stem cells reduced glial scarring, inflammation, and lesion volume while also improving motor recovery. The clinical trials used mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs) to aid in recovery, which proved to be safe and provided short-term motor recovery but had limited cognitive recovery. This review highlights the importance in the compatibility of the type of cell and scaffold. It also offers a layout for future studies seeking to test multi-stage recovery processes that reduce inflammation paired with scaffold-guided regeneration, as this approach more accurately models the natural healing process. These insights can guide future research toward improved recovery methods, leading to lasting motor and cognitive improvement.