Glowing nicotinamide molecules surround a brain, symbolizing healing from traumatic brain injury.

Can Sustained Nicotinamide Delivery Help Heal Traumatic Brain Injury?

Beau Callahan in Health & Wellness December 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research explores how continuous nicotinamide infusion could revolutionize TBI recovery, offering hope for improved neurological outcomes."

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health issue, affecting millions worldwide. Despite advancements in medical care, effective treatments to aid recovery during the acute or secondary stages of TBI remain limited. This lack of treatment options highlights the urgent need for innovative therapeutic strategies.

A major challenge in TBI research is the translational gap: many therapeutic compounds show promise in preclinical studies but fail to deliver the same benefits in clinical trials. Factors contributing to this gap include differences in treatment windows and durations between laboratory experiments and real-world clinical scenarios. The study bridges the treatment gap by studying nicotinamide.

Recognizing this challenge, researchers have turned their attention to nicotinamide (NAM), a neuroprotective soluble B-group vitamin. Prior studies indicate NAM's potential to improve recovery after TBI. This article explores whether continuous NAM infusion over several days post-TBI could enhance recovery.

Nicotinamide (NAM) Improves Functional Recovery

Glowing nicotinamide molecules surround a brain, symbolizing healing from traumatic brain injury.

Researchers at Southern Illinois University and the University of Washington investigated the effects of sustained nicotinamide (NAM) delivery on traumatic brain injury (TBI) recovery in rats. The study, published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, explored whether continuous NAM infusion could improve neurological outcomes compared to traditional bolus administrations.

The study used controlled cortical impact (CCI) injuries in rats, mimicking TBI. NAM was administered via osmotic mini-pumps at a rate of 50 mg/kg/day for seven days, starting shortly after the injury. The rats were then assessed using a battery of sensorimotor tests, including tactile removal, locomotor placing, and limb-use asymmetry tasks.

Improved Sensorimotor Function: Continuous NAM infusion significantly reduced initial injury deficits and enhanced overall recovery on tactile removal and locomotor placing tasks.
Reduced Limb-Use Asymmetry: NAM treatment decreased the bias towards using the uninjured limb, promoting more balanced motor function.
Limited Cortical Damage: NAM significantly reduced the extent of cortical damage compared to vehicle-treated animals.
Elevated NAM Levels: The continuous infusion resulted in a significant increase in serum NAM levels, confirming effective drug delivery.

The study's findings suggest that sustained NAM delivery via a clinically relevant therapeutic regimen may mitigate behavioral damage following TBI. The results offer a strong rationale for translating these findings into clinical trials to assess NAM's efficacy in human TBI patients.

Future Directions and Clinical Implications

This research provides a foundation for future studies aimed at optimizing NAM administration strategies for TBI. Further investigations could explore different NAM dosages, treatment durations, and administration windows to identify the most effective therapeutic protocol.

While this study highlights the potential benefits of sustained NAM delivery, it's important to acknowledge some limitations. The research was conducted in a rat model, and further studies are needed to confirm these findings in human populations. Additionally, the study focused on sensorimotor outcomes, and future research should investigate NAM's effects on cognitive and emotional recovery after TBI.

Despite these limitations, this research offers hope for improving TBI outcomes and underscores the importance of continued investigation into NAM's therapeutic potential.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.4161/oxim.3.2.11315, Alternate LINK

Title: Sustained Delivery Of Nicotinamide Limits Cortical Injury And Improves Functional Recovery Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Subject: Cell Biology

Journal: Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

Publisher: Hindawi Limited

Authors: Andrea M. Goffus, Gail D. Anderson, Michael R. Hoane

Published: 2010-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What is traumatic brain injury (TBI) and why is it a concern?

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health issue, affecting millions globally. It results from an external force causing brain damage, leading to a range of impairments. Despite medical advancements, effective treatments during the acute or secondary stages remain limited, highlighting the need for innovative strategies. This study investigates the potential of sustained nicotinamide (NAM) delivery as a therapeutic approach to improve neurological outcomes following TBI.

What is nicotinamide (NAM), and what role does it play in this research?

Nicotinamide (NAM) is a neuroprotective, soluble B-group vitamin. Prior studies indicated NAM's potential in improving recovery after TBI. The research explored if continuous NAM infusion could enhance recovery by mitigating behavioral damage following TBI. The study focuses on understanding the effects of sustained NAM delivery on TBI recovery. NAM's role is to potentially limit cortical injury, improving functional recovery.

How was the research conducted to study nicotinamide (NAM) and its effects?

The study investigated the impact of sustained nicotinamide (NAM) delivery on traumatic brain injury (TBI) recovery in rats. Researchers used a controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury model to mimic TBI. NAM was administered via osmotic mini-pumps at a rate of 50 mg/kg/day for seven days post-injury. The rats underwent a battery of sensorimotor tests to assess neurological outcomes, including tactile removal, locomotor placing, and limb-use asymmetry tasks. These tests helped evaluate the effects of NAM on functional recovery.

What were the main findings regarding the use of nicotinamide (NAM) in this study?

The study showed continuous nicotinamide (NAM) infusion significantly reduced initial injury deficits, enhanced overall recovery on tests, reduced limb-use asymmetry, and limited cortical damage compared to vehicle-treated animals. The continuous infusion also resulted in elevated NAM levels, confirming effective drug delivery. These findings suggest sustained NAM delivery may mitigate behavioral damage following TBI, supporting the rationale for clinical trials in human TBI patients.

What are the next steps and future implications of this research?

Future research should focus on optimizing nicotinamide (NAM) administration strategies for TBI. Investigations could explore different NAM dosages, treatment durations, and administration windows. These explorations aim to identify the most effective therapeutic protocols. The goal is to translate the findings into clinical trials to assess NAM's efficacy in human TBI patients. This will determine if sustained NAM delivery can improve outcomes and provide a new treatment option.