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Neuropharmacology in pediatric traumatic brain injury

Laura E Black1, Nancy Yeh1, Emily Hillaker1

  • 1Department of Neurorehabilitation Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine
|January 23, 2026
PubMed

Insights

This review examines medications for managing complications in children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Evidence often comes from adult studies, highlighting a need for more pediatric-specific research on TBI treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Neurocritical Care
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) face significant medical complications.
  • These complications include paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity, disorders of consciousness, mood disruption, agitation, and upper motor neuron syndrome.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review pharmacologic agents used for managing complications in pediatric TBI.
  • To evaluate the supporting evidence for these medications in the pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on pharmacologic management of pediatric TBI complications.
  • Analysis of evidence strength, often extrapolated from adult TBI literature.

Main Results:

  • Various pharmacologic agents are employed to manage TBI-related complications in children.
  • The evidence base for many treatments in pediatric TBI is limited, with frequent reliance on adult data.

Conclusions:

  • Current pharmacologic management of pediatric TBI complications relies heavily on adult data.
  • Further research is essential to establish evidence-based guidelines for medication use in pediatric TBI.

Keywords:
pediatricspharmacologytraumatic brain injury

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