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Updated: Jan 16, 2026
Assessing Changes in Synaptic Plasticity Using an Awake Closed-Head Injury Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: January 20, 2023
Role of dexmedetomidine in brain injury: a systematic review
Rania Zekry1, Rehab H Werida2, Ehab S Hegazy3
1Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour, 22514, Egypt.
Background:
Brain injuries are major health concern worldwide, that have debilitating effects on patients and affect patients' quality of life; therefore, we are in urgent need of identifying medications that have neuroprotective properties and help to maintain the patients' cognitive function. Dexmedetomidine is a sedative medication commonly used in ICU situations; recent studies show that it may have neuroprotective properties via different mechanisms.
Aim:
The aim of this article is to review available literature regarding the impact of using dexmedetomidine in various types of brain injury.
Method:
A systematic review of the published papers on the PubMed and google scholar that investigated the effects of dexmedetomidine on patients with different brain injuries was employed.
Results:
A total of 17 papers were included in this review, of which 1 was a case report, 6 were animal studies, 1 was a retrospective descriptive study, 2 were retrospective cohorts, 5 were randomized controlled trials, 1 was a scoping review, and 1 was a meta-analysis. These papers demonstrated the effects of dexmedetomidine on patients with traumatic brain injury, intracerebral hemorrhage, ischemic brain injury, status epilepticus, and on patients undergoing craniocerebral surgeries.
Conclusion:
Dexmedetomidine is a very promising drug to be used in different types of brain injuries and in craniocerebral surgeries because it has demonstrated impressive neuroprotective properties by a variety of mechanisms.
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