A decade of progress (2014–2025): Environmental enrichment as a validated preclinical model of neurorehabilitation for traumatic brain injury

Over the past decade, recognition of the therapeutic value of environmental enrichment in promoting recovery after traumatic brain injury has continued to increase within the neuroscience and neurotrauma fields. While our previous review (covering literature through early 2014) identified environmental enrichment as a promising intervention, the current review demonstrates that the supporting evidence has not only persisted but significantly strengthened. This updated comprehensive review examines all relevant publications from late 2014 through 2025, with a focus on how enriched environments influence motor recovery, cognitive function, emotional regulation, and neuroplasticity in preclinical models of traumatic brain injury. Several studies highlight refinements to the environmental enrichment paradigm to better emulate clinical neurorehabilitation, particularly regarding the timing of initiation, duration of exposure, and the efficacy of combinational treatment strategies. Potential underlying mechanisms, including enhanced neurogenesis, synaptic remodeling, and modulation of inflammatory responses, are also explored. A total of 34 eligible studies met inclusion criteria, including the use of appropriate controls, randomization, and blinding. Across this body of work, a consistent and compelling pattern emerges, which is that environmental enrichment reliably improves both behavioral and histological outcomes following traumatic brain injury, irrespective of age or sex in animal models. Additionally, several studies report additive or synergistic benefits when environmental enrichment is combined with other therapeutic interventions. These findings reinforce and extend earlier conclusions, providing robust and generalizable support for environmental enrichment as a validated preclinical model of neurorehabilitation for traumatic brain injury.