Studies by the National Institutes of Health indicate patients who receive neurorehabilitation during hospitalization from a head injury have been found to have significantly higher cognitive levels when discharged, compared to those who did not receive neurorehabilitation treatment.
Issue 35.1 WINTER 2026 week had a 41 % lower risk of developing Alzheimer’ s at three years and a 30 % lower risk at five years compared to those who received delayed treatment.
“ Our analysis shows that acting quickly matters in the long term,” said Austin Kennemer, lead author and third-year medical student at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.
Neurorehabilitation consists of physical therapy, occupational therapy, cognitive rehabilitation and speech-language therapy. This treatment leverages the brain’ s ability to form new connections and reorganize itself throughout life, whether you’ re 5 or 95 years old.
Studies by the National Institutes of Health indicate patients who receive neurorehabilitation during hospitalization from a head injury have been found to have significantly higher cognitive levels when discharged, compared to those who did not receive neurorehabilitation treatment.
The research was co-led by Kennemer and Zhenxiang Gao, a research assistant professor and supervised by Rong Xu, biomedical informatics professor and director of the medical school’ s Center for AI in Drug Discovery. Xu has established a multidisciplinary research group of medical students, data scientists and clinicians for real-world health outcomes research, drug discovery and health policy. She and her team are now investigating how timing of neurorehabilitation following TBI impacts the risk of other neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’ s disease.
Studies by the National Institutes of Health indicate patients who receive neurorehabilitation during hospitalization from a head injury have been found to have significantly higher cognitive levels when discharged, compared to those who did not receive neurorehabilitation treatment.
“ For the millions of people who suffer head injuries each year,” Xu said,“ the message is clear: Getting treatment immediately could protect their minds for decades to come.” g
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