Therapeutic strategies for ketosis induction and their potential efficacy for the treatment of acute brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases

This review describes approaches to raising blood ketone bodies, including the ketogenic diet, caloric restriction, intermittent fasting, medium chain triglycerides, exogenous ketones and ketone body derivatives, as tested in animal models of brain injury and in humans. It discusses metabolic, anti-inflammatory and epigenetic protective mechanisms. The authors state these approaches have shown different degrees of success in preventing neuronal damage, motor alterations and cognitive decline, and that it is not yet clear whether a specific mechanism can be linked to a particular neurological disorder.