- Academic Editor
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a frequently encountered form of injury that can
have lifelong implications. Despite advances in prevention, diagnosis,
monitoring, and treatment, the degree of recovery can vary widely between
patients. Much of this is explained by differences in severity of impact and
patient-specific comorbidities; however, even among nearly identical patients,
stark disparities can arise. Researchers have looked to genetics in recent years
as a means of explaining this phenomenon. It has been hypothesized that
individual genetic factors can influence initial inflammatory responses, recovery
mechanisms, and overall prognoses. In this review, we focus on cytokine
polymorphisms, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes, immune cells, and gene
therapy given their associated influx of novel research and magnitude of
potential. This discussion is prefaced by a thorough background on TBI
pathophysiology to better understand where each mechanism fits within the disease
process. Cytokine polymorphisms causing unfavorable regulation of genes encoding
IL-1