Publications | Neurotrauma & Social Impact Research Team
Evidence that continues to shape neurotrauma science and care.
How Brain Injury Occurs: Biomechanics, Modeling, and Core Pathophysiology
(animal modeling; biomechanics; pathophysiology)
Research in this area examines how physical forces applied to the brain or head initiate the pathophysiology of TBI. By connecting mechanical injury parameters to cellular and regional pathology, this work explains why traumatic brain injury spreads across networks and progresses over time rather than resolving as a single isolated event.
Lugo A, Stewart AR, Lifshitz J, Rowe RK. "Modeling spatial neurodegeneration after midline fluid percussion injury," AI in Neuroscience (in press).
Beitchman JA, Lifshitz J, Harris NG, Thomas TC, Lafrenaye AD, Dixon CE, et al.
“Spatial Distribution of Neuropathology and Neuroinflammation Elucidate the Biomechanics of Fluid Percussion Injury,” Neurotrauma Reports, 2021.
Giordano K, Lifshitz J. “Pathophysiology of Traumatic Brain Injury,” Traumatic Brain Injury (Springer), 2021.
Giordano KR, Law LM, Henderson J, Rowe RK, Lifshitz J. “Time Course of Remote Neuropathology Following Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury in the Male Rat,” Experimental Neurobiology, 2022.
Lifshitz J, Rowe RK, Griffiths DR, Evilsizor MN, Thomas TC, Adelson PD, McIntosh TK. “Clinical relevance of midline fluid percussion brain injury: Acute deficits, chronic morbidities, and the utility of biomarkers,” Brain Injury, 2016.
Inflammation, Immunity, and Systemic Consequences of Brain Injury
(inflammation; basic pathophysiology)
This work investigates how brain injury activates both inflammatory (systemic) and neuroinflammatory (brain) responses after injury. Immune signaling within and beyond the brain influence neurological outcomes, opening new possibilities for detection and treatment strategies that extend beyond the brain itself. Notably, this work identified the rod microglia that are associated with circuit disconnection and stabilization.
Giordano KR, Denman CR, Dubisch PS, Akhter M, Lifshitz J. “An update on the rod microglia variant in experimental and clinical brain injury and disease,” Brain Communications, 2021.
Giordano KR, Saber M, Green TRF, Rojas‑Valencia LM, Lifshitz J, et al.“Colony‑Stimulating Factor‑1 Receptor Inhibition Transiently Attenuated the Peripheral Immune Response to Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury,” Neurotrauma Reports, 2023.
Saber M, Rice AD, Christie I, Roberts RG, Knox KS, Lifshitz J, et al. “Remote Ischemic Conditioning Reduced Acute Lung Injury After Traumatic Brain Injury in the Mouse,” Shock, 2021.
Ziebell JM, Taylor SE, Cao T, Harrison JL, Lifshitz J. “Rod Microglia: Elongation, Alignment, and Coupling to Form Trains Across the Somatosensory Cortex After Experimental Diffuse Brain Injury,” Journal of Neuroinflammation, 2012.
Cao T, Thomas TC, Ziebell JM, Pauly JR, Lifshitz J. “Morphological and Genetic Activation of Microglia After Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury in the Rat,” Neuroscience, 2012.
Taylor SE, Morganti‑Kossmann C, Lifshitz J, Ziebell JM. “Rod Microglia: A Morphological Definition,” PLoS ONE, 2014.
Ziebell JM, Adelson PD, Lifshitz J. [GS2] [JL3] [SG4] “Microglia: Dismantling and Rebuilding Circuits After Acute Neurological Injury,” Metabolic Brain Disease, 2014.
Rowe RK, Ellis GI, Harrison JL, Bachstetter AD, Corder GF, Van Eldik LJ, Taylor BK, Marti F, Lifshitz J. “Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury Induces Prolonged Immune Dysregulation and Potentiates Hyperalgesia Following a Peripheral Immune Challenge,” Molecular Pain, 2016.
Saber M, Giordano KR, Hur Y, Ortiz JB, Morrison H, Godbout JP, Murphy SM, Lifshitz J, Rowe RK. [GS5] “Acute Peripheral Inflammation and Post-Traumatic Sleep Differ Between Sexes After Experimental Diffuse Brain Injury.” European Journal of Neuroscience, 2020.
Post Traumatic Sleep
In the chronic condition, TBI survivors report sleep challenges – both too much and too little. Additionally, the folklore that head injured individual should not go to sleep led our team to investigate post-traumatic sleep and the longer term consequences of sleep on TBI pathophysiology and TBI pathophysiology on sleep.
Rowe R, Saber M, Murphy S, Lifshitz J. “Data from: Sleep, inflammation, and cognitive behavior of aged wild-type mice subjected to diffuse brain injury and aged 3xTg-AD mice as a model of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dryad, 2024.
Houle S, Tapp Z, Dobres S, Ahsan S, Reyes Y, Lifshitz J, et al. “Sleep fragmentation after traumatic brain injury impairs behavior and conveys long-lasting impacts on neuroinflammation,” Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health, 2024.
Rowe RK, Striz M, Bachstetter AD, Van Eldik LJ, Donohue KD, O’Hara BF, Lifshitz J.
“Diffuse Brain Injury Induces Acute Post‑Traumatic Sleep,” PLOS ONE, 2014.
Rowe RK, Harrison JL, Subbian V, Murphy SM, Lifshitz J. “Acute Post‑Traumatic Sleep May Define Vulnerability to a Second Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice,” Journal of Neurotrauma, 2019.
Rowe RK, Harrison JL, O’Hara BF, Lifshitz J. “Recovery of Neurological Function Despite Immediate Sleep Disruption Following Diffuse Brain Injury in the Mouse: Clinical Relevance to Medically Untreated Concussion,” SLEEP, 2014.
Traumatic Brain Injury Throughout the Lifespan
TBI can occur at any age, with the chronic condition extending throughout the lifespan. In younger populations, brain injury alters development, puberty, and can accelerate neurodegenerative processes along.
Ortiz JB, Sukhina A, Balkan B, Harootunian G, Adelson PD, Lewis KS, Oatman O, Subbian V, Rowe RK, Lifshitz J. “Epidemiology of Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury and Hypothalamic–Pituitary Disorders in Arizona,” Frontiers in Neurology, 2020.
Ziebell JM, Rowe RK, Muccigrosso MM, Reddaway JT, Adelson PD, Godbout JP, Lifshitz J. “Aging with a Traumatic Brain Injury: Could Behavioral Morbidities and Endocrine Symptoms Be Influenced by Microglial Priming?” Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 2017.
Saber M, Murphy SM, Cho Y, Lifshitz J, Rowe RK. “Experimental Diffuse Brain Injury and a Model of Alzheimer’s Disease Exhibit Disease‑Specific Changes in Sleep and Incongruous Peripheral Inflammation,” Journal of Neuroscience Research, 2021.
Doust YV, Rowe RK, Adelson PD, Lifshitz J, Ziebell JM. Age-at-Injury Determines the Extent of Long-Term Neuropathology and Microgliosis After a Diffuse Brain Injury in Male Rats,” Frontiers in Neurology, 2021.
Griffiths DR, Law LM, Young C, Fuentes A, Truran S, Lifshitz J, et al. “Chronic Cognitive and Cerebrovascular Function after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats,” Journal of Neurotrauma, 2022.
Cognition, Rehabilitation, and Neural Plasticity
(cognition and neurorehabilitation)
In the chronic condition, the morbidities and neurological symptoms will persist, as the brain-injured circuits have reestablished in a manner that is functionally impaired. Our approaches demonstrate persistent cognitive impairments, which are amenable to spatial navigation rehabilitation.
Law LM, Griffiths DR, Lifshitz J. “Peg Forest Rehabilitation – A novel spatial navigation based cognitive rehabilitation paradigm for experimental neurotrauma,” Behavioral Brain Research, 2023.
Bozgeyikli L, Bozgeyikli E, Funakoshiya R, Le Q, Walker K, Lifshitz J, et al. “Insights from the Participatory Design of a Virtual Reality Spatial Navigation Application for Veterans with a History of TBI,” IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW), 2024.
Law L, Lifshitz J, Stein D. “Chapter 13: Concepts of Central Nervous System Plasticity and Their Implications for Recovery After Brain Damage,” Brain Injury Medicine (3rd ed., Springer Publishing Company), 2021.
Thomas TC, Law LM, Ziebell JM, Adelson PD, Lifshitz J. “Rehabilitation‑Induced Neuroplasticity after Traumatic Brain Injury: Cellular and Circuit Mechanisms Supporting Recovery,” Metabolic Brain Disease, 2014.
The Fencing Response as a Visual Indication of Brain Injury
(social policy; methods)
Our research identified the fencing response as an indicator of TBI, which can be applied everywhere TBI can occur. Our work has defined, expanded, and demonstrated the utility of the Fencing Response.
Hosseini AH, Lifshitz J. “Brain Injury Forces of Moderate Magnitude Elicit the Fencing Response,” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(9):1687–1697, 2009.
Beitchman JA, Burg BA, Sabb DM, Hosseini AH, Lifshitz J. “The Pentagram of Concussion: An Observational Analysis That Describes Five Overt Indicators of Head Trauma,” BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2022.
Roe KL, Giordano KR, Ezzell GA, Lifshitz J. “Public Awareness of the Fencing Response as an Indicator of Traumatic Brain Injury: Quantitative Study of Twitter and Wikipedia Data,” JMIR Formative Research, 2023.
Violence, Abuse, and Brain Injury as Public Health Crises
(violence; child abuse; partner‑inflicted TBI)
Domestic and interpersonal violence are under-recognized causes of TBI, where the incidence dwarfs those from other causes. This research documents the scope of abuse related brain injury and reframes it as a public health and social justice issue that demands better identification, clinical care, and policy attention. Notably, pregnancy is a condition that elevates the incidence of TBI, risking maternal and fetal health.
Rowe RK, Murphy SM, Handmaker H, Lifshitz J. “Population-Level Epidemiology of Concussion Concurrent with Domestic Violence in Arizona, USA[JL1] [SG2] ,” Journal of Neurotrauma, 2021.
Sayrs LW, Ortiz JB, Notrica DM, Kirsch L, Kelly C, Stottlemyre R, Cohen A, Misra S, Green TR, Adelson PD, Lifshitz J, Rowe RK. “Intimate Partner Violence, Clinical Indications, and Other Family Risk Factors Associated With Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma,” Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2022.
Saber M, Ortiz JB, Rojas Valencia LM, Ma X, Tallent BR, Adelson PD, Rowe RK, Qiu S, Lifshitz J. “Mice Born to Mothers With Gravida Traumatic Brain Injury Have Distorted Brain Circuitry and Altered Immune Responses,” Journal of Neurotrauma, 2021.
Lifshitz J, Crabtree‑Nelson S, Kozlowski DA. “Traumatic Brain Injury in Victims of Domestic Violence,” Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 2019.
Lifshitz J. “Brain injury in the NFL is miniscule compared to those from intimate partner violence,” LinkedIn, 2022.
Animal Welfare and Responsible Neuroscience
Attention to animal welfare plays a critical role in producing reliable and meaningful scientific results. Work in this area demonstrates that improved housing conditions reduce stress and aggression, benefiting both the animals involved and the quality of the data collected.
Tallent BR, Law LM, Lifshitz J. “Partially divided caging reduces overall aggression and anxiety which may indicate improved welfare in group housed male C57BL/6J mice,” BMC Veterinary Research, 2024.
Therapeutic Discovery and Translational Interventions
(inflammation; therapeutics)
Secondary injury processes such as inflammation and vascular dysfunction represent key targets for therapeutic intervention.
Verdoorn TA, Parry TJ, Pinna G, Lifshitz J. “Neurosteroid Receptor Modulators for Treating Traumatic Brain Injury,” Neurotherapeutics, 2023.
Rowe RK, Harrison JL, Zhang H, Bachstetter AD, Hesson DP, O’Hara BF, Greene MI, Lifshitz J. “Novel TNF Receptor‑1 Inhibitors Identified as Potential Therapeutic Candidates for Traumatic Brain Injury,” Journal of Neuroinflammation, 2018.
Ahmad S, Truran S, Karamanova N, Kindelin A, Lozoya M, Lifshitz J, et al. “Nanoliposomes Reduce Stroke Injury Following Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in Mice,” Stroke, 2022.,” Circulation, 2021.
Butt CM, Harrison JL, Rowe RK, Jones J, Wynalda KM, Salem N Jr, Lifshitz J, Pauly JR.
“Selective Reduction of Brain Docosahexaenoic Acid after Experimental Brain Injury and Mitigation of Neuroinflammatory Outcomes with Dietary DHA,” Current Research in Concussion, 2017.
Saber M, Ortiz JB, Rojas Valencia LM, Ma X, Tallent BR, Lifshitz J, et al. “Mice Born to Mothers with Gravida Traumatic Brain Injury Have Distorted Brain Circuitry and Altered Immune Responses,” Journal of Neurotrauma, 2021.
