Frontiers Retracts TBI Hypothermia MRI Study

Frontiers in Neuroscience has officially retracted a 2023 research article that investigated the effects of hypothermia on glymphatic drainage in traumatic brain injury. The original study, published in February 2023, utilized dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with intrathecal contrast to assess these physiological processes. The retraction notice was published on November 4, 2026, in Volume 20 of the journal. This action follows a formal investigation into the integrity of the images presented in the published figures of the original paper.

The retracted article, titled “Hypothermia impairs glymphatic drainage in traumatic brain injury as assessed by dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with intrathecal contrast,” was authored by Gu, W., Bai, Y., Cai, J., Mi, H., Bao, Y., Zhao, X., Lu, C., Zhang, F., Li, Y.-h., and Lu, Q. The original publication appeared in Frontiers in Neuroscience, Volume 17, with the article identifier 1061039.

Following the initial publication, concerns were raised regarding the integrity of the images included in the published figures. These concerns triggered an investigation conducted in accordance with Frontiers’ established policies for handling research integrity issues. The authors of the original article were given the opportunity to provide an explanation for the discrepancies noted in the figures. However, the authors failed to provide a satisfactory explanation during the investigation process, which ultimately led to the decision to retract the paper.

The retraction was approved by the Chief Editors of Frontiers in Neuroscience and the Chief Executive Editor of Frontiers. The publisher ensured that the authors received a communication regarding the retraction and had a chance to respond to the findings of the investigation. This communication has been recorded by the publisher. The retraction was approved by the Frontiers Editorial Office, Frontiers Media SA, Switzerland.

The publisher specifically thanked Sholto David for contacting the journal regarding the published article.

The retraction notice itself is a distinct article within the journal, identified by the DOI 10.3389/fnins.2026.2046766. It was received and accepted on October 30, 2026, and published on November 4, 2026. The notice is categorized under the Neural Technology section of the journal. The copyright for the retraction notice is held by the Frontiers Editorial Office, and it is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. This license allows for the use, distribution, and reproduction of the retraction notice in other forums, provided that the original authors and copyright owners are credited and the original publication is cited.

Subject of Research: Retraction of a traumatic brain injury MRI study due to image integrity issues

Article Title: Retraction: Hypothermia impairs glymphatic drainage in traumatic brain injury as assessed by dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with intrathecal contrast

Article References: Frontiers Editorial Office (2026). Retraction: Hypothermia impairs glymphatic drainage in traumatic brain injury as assessed by dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with intrathecal contrast. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 20, Article 2046766. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2026.2046766

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2026.2046766

Keywords: retraction, traumatic brain injury, glymphatic drainage, hypothermia, MRI, research integrity, Frontiers in Neuroscience, image integrity, impairs, glymphatic, drainage, traumatic