Drs. Mark Burns & Kathy Maguire-Zeiss Co-Directors

Established in April 1999, the Center for Neural Injury and Recovery (CNIR) at Georgetown University promotes research in areas related to central nervous system injury and recovery, neurodegeneration, glial responses, and nervous system plasticity.

The CNIR includes faculty members from various basic science and clinical departments who share a common passion to understand the fundamental mechanisms of neural plasticity, injury, and recovery. Moreover, this group also seeks novel translational approaches to promote recovery for both acute and chronic nervous system disorders. The CNIR vision is that a broad collaborative effort will lead to scientific breakthroughs that would be applicable to a variety of types of neural injury, including but not limited to trauma, neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy, developmental and psychiatric disorders.

The Mission of the CNIR is to:

  • Enhance basic research on the fundamental mechanisms of degeneration, synaptic plasticity, and injury & recovery through collaborative research efforts.
  • Develop novel and effective therapies for acute and chronic nervous system disorders.
  • Facilitate interactions between basic scientists and clinicians.
  • Develop training programs for young scientists who will carry on this research in the future.