Tracing the path of disruption: C isotope applications in traumatic brain injury-induced metabolic dysfunction.

Cerebral metabolic dysfunction is a critical pathological hallmark observed in the aftermath of traumatic brain injury (TBI), as extensively documented in clinical investigations and experimental models. An in-depth understanding of the bioenergetic disturbances that occur following TBI promises to reveal novel therapeutic targets, paving the way for the timely development of interventions to improve patient outcomes. The C isotope tracing technique represents a robust methodological advance, harnessing biochemical quantification to delineate the metabolic trajectories of isotopically labeled substrates.