Guest Editors
Rauf Nasirov
Department of Surgery, University of Colorado
Dr. Rauf Nasirov, MD, is a neurosurgeon currently working in Denver, Colorado, with a clinical focus on neurotrauma and complex spine pathology. His practice and research interests center on traumatic brain injury, spinal cord and spine trauma, acute stabilization, and reconstruction, with particular attention to reproducible surgical techniques and neurocritical care workflows. He has extensive experience in managing high-acuity neurosurgical emergencies, including cranial trauma, complex spinal fractures, and craniovertebral junction disorders, and he is actively involved in academic teaching and multidisciplinary collaboration. His ongoing scholarly work emphasizes technique-driven education, translational approaches that connect experimental models to clinical practice, and practical innovations that improve both acute outcomes and long-term functional recovery. As a guest editor, he aims to curate high-impact video protocols that standardize and advance neurotrauma care across diverse clinical settings.
Aynur Aliyeva
Denver Health Hospital, University of Colorado; Yeditepe University
Dr. Aynur Aliyeva, MD, is an otolaryngology specialist and neuroscience PhD candidate currently working at Denver Health Hospital and the University of Colorado (USA), with an additional academic appointment at Yeditepe University (Istanbul, Turkey). She is the author and co-author of more than 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has served as an international speaker and lecturer across academic meetings and training programs. Her clinical and research interests focus on craniofacial trauma, reconstruction, and multidisciplinary neurotrauma management, with particular emphasis on skull base and temporal bone injury, CSF leak pathways, facial nerve outcomes, and post-traumatic audiovestibular dysfunction (hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo). She also develops and evaluates artificial intelligence tools for surgical decision support and patient education. As a guest editor, she aims to curate practical, reproducible, technique-driven video protocols that improve both acute care workflows and long-term functional outcomes at the neurosurgery–ENT-Neuroscience interface.
Collection Overview
Neurotrauma remains a major global cause of death and long-term disability, and real-world cases frequently involve combined injuries to the brain, spinal cord, vertebral column, and craniofacial structures that demand time-sensitive, multidisciplinary care. This Topical Collection will provide practical, reproducible video protocols spanning experimental neurotrauma models, advanced neuroimaging and monitoring, acute surgical stabilization, reconstruction techniques, and translational methods that connect acute management to long-term recovery and functional outcomes. A key emphasis is the anatomical and functional continuity between the brain, spine, skull base, and upper aerodigestive tract, including high-yield interfaces such as temporal bone and craniofacial trauma, CSF leak pathways, facial nerve injury, airway/neck trauma coordination, and post-traumatic audiovestibular assessment. By standardizing “how-to” methods in a visual, step-by-step format, the collection aims to accelerate reproducibility, reduce variability in technique, and enable clinicians and researchers to adopt and compare protocols across diverse settings.
Articles
Abstracts
A Novel In Vivo Model of Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury with Cognitive Decline and Depression-Like Behavior
Xiang Mao*1
1the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University
A Biaxial Stretch and Damage-Associated Molecular Pattern Dual-Hit Protocol for Modeling Microglial Neuroinflammation In Vitro
Dennis Simon*1
1University of Pittsburgh