Researchers reviewed 26 adults who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for persistent cognitive problems from traumatic brain injuries sustained in childhood. Each person completed at least 40 sessions of 90 minutes breathing 100% oxygen at increased pressure. After treatment, participants showed significant and large improvements in global cognition, memory, executive function, attention, and processing speed, while motor skills did not improve. Benefits were seen regardless of how long ago the injury occurred (on average ~24 years) or the original injury severity, and people with mild childhood TBIs improved similarly to those with more severe injuries.
Although promising, the study was retrospective, small, and lacked a control group, so the results suggest HBOT may help long-term cognitive recovery after pediatric TBI but require confirmation in larger, controlled trials <view study>