Fernando Gomez-Pinilla

Fernando Gomez-Pinilla is a Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). His research spans multiple interdisciplinary fields focusing on the intersection of nutrition, exercise, and brain health, particularly in the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and neurodegenerative conditions.

Dr. Gomez-Pinilla's research interests center on understanding how dietary interventions, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, curcumin, flavonoids, and probiotics, can support brain recovery following injury. His work explores the brain-gut-liver axis, examining how peripheral metabolic processes influence central nervous system function and recovery. He investigates exercise-induced neuroplasticity, epigenetic regulation of brain function, and the role of neurotrophic factors like BDNF in cognitive recovery.

His recent publications reveal a strong focus on traumatic brain injury mechanisms and therapeutic approaches, with emphasis on sex differences, mitochondrial function, and the systemic consequences of brain injury. Dr. Gomez-Pinilla employs advanced techniques including single-cell transcriptomics, metabolomics, and behavioral assessments to understand the molecular basis of brain plasticity and cognitive function.

• 15+ publications in 2024-2025 alone
• Extensive work on brain-gut-liver communication pathways
• Research on sex-specific responses to brain injury and interventions
• Investigation of dietary compounds as neuroprotective agents

Dr. Gomez-Pinilla's work has significant implications for developing nutritional and lifestyle interventions to improve outcomes following brain injury and in neurodegenerative conditions. His research demonstrates how metabolic interventions can be strategically targeted to support neural repair processes and cognitive recovery.