The Department of Neurological Surgery's Brain Trauma Research Center (BTRC) at the University of Pittsburgh is a multidisciplinary, multidepartmental research program funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health, aimed at improving outcome following severe traumatic brain injury. Research conducted both at our Center and at other brain injury research programs clearly demonstrates the potential for improving outcome using therapies designed to treat biochemical derangements that occur following impact to the brain. In order to identify the most critical of these sequelae of brain injury and to find newer therapies that are effective in treating them, the Brain Trauma Research Center has established several basic science head injury laboratories and clinical research projects.

Primary investigators include Drs. C. Edward Dixon, Patrick Kochanek, Steven Graham, Steven DeKosky, Robert Clark and David Okonkwo. These researchers are studying the mechanisms of secondary brain injury. Specifically, they are investigating the role of inflammation, excitotoxicity, and reactive oxygen species in causing brain tissue injury following experimental blunt impact.

Center investigators meet monthly to integrate their research efforts and to formulate future research directions. The investigators regularly present at local, national, and international head injury meetings and have written numerous journal articles and book chapters related to head injury. As one of only six National Institutes of Health designated head injury research centers in the United States, the Brain Trauma Research Center has a particular mandate to provide improved quality of care and outcomes for severely head-injured patients.