CHSJ

Curr Health Sci J, vol. 52, no. 3, 2026

Neurological Recovery in the Aging Brain: Challenges and Emerging Therapies

[Review]

D.M. POPESCU(1), I.K.S. BOBOC(2), S. PATRU(1), M.C. PAPA(1), A. POPA-WAGNER(3)


(1)Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania;
(2)Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania;
(3)Experimental Research Center for Normal and Pathological Aging, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania


Abstract:

Restoration of neurological function after stroke, spinal cord injury and neurodegeneration remains limited by irreversible tissue loss, age-associated changes in neural plasticity and the difficulty of translating experimental repair strategies into sustained clinical benefit. This narrative review critically examines pharmacological neuroprotection, rehabilitation, cellular and extracellular-vesicle therapies, and endogenous neuronal reprogramming, with particular emphasis on ischemic stroke and the aged brain. We then evaluate brain-computer interfaces and related neuroprosthetic technologies for motor assistance, communication, rehabilitative feedback and closed-loop neuromodulation. Advances in artificial intelligence are expanding neural decoding and adaptive control, but technical feasibility must be distinguished from demonstrated clinical effectiveness. Evidence is strongest for established responsive neurostimulation in focal epilepsy and conventional deep brain stimulation in selected Parkinson’s disease patients; other invasive motor, speech and brain-spine interfaces remain at earlier stages of clinical evaluation. We propose that biological interventions and neuroprosthetics may eventually provide complementary therapeutic benefits, while emphasizing that combined approaches remain largely hypothetical. Progress will require rigorous patient selection, durable device performance, validated patient-centered endpoints and assessment of functional gains beyond active device assistance.


Keywords: Biological neurorestoration, brain-computer interface, neuroprosthetics, artificial intelligence, ischemic stroke, aging; neural plasticity



Corresponding: Mihai-Cristian Papa, Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania, e-mail: cmidr10@gmail.com


DOI 10.12865/CHSJ.52.03.02 - Download PDF
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