The science of concussion recovery is expanding well beyond rest protocols and symptom tracking. As functional neurology continues to integrate systems-level thinking, the gut-brain axis has emerged as one of the most compelling frontiers in neuroendocrine research. At the center of that conversation is ghrelin, a peptide long associated with hunger signaling that is now revealing a far more sophisticated biological profile. This course positions clinicians at the leading edge of that conversation, with a rigorous, evidence-grounded exploration of ghrelin's roles in neuroinflammation, neuroplasticity, neuronal repair, and traumatic brain injury recovery.

Beyond Hunger: Ghrelin, the Gut-Brain Axis, and a New Frontier in Concussion Research is a one-hour continuing education course that translates emerging preclinical and clinical research into a clinically meaningful framework. Participants move through the neuroanatomical pathways connecting the gastrointestinal tract, vagus nerve, hypothalamus, and central nervous system, examining how ghrelin participates in neuroendocrine signaling at each level. The course reviews preclinical studies on ghrelin-mediated inflammatory pathways, including the role of ferulic acid, and evaluates the early clinical evidence surrounding synthetic ghrelin therapy for concussion. Limitations of current research are addressed directly, and the course concludes by mapping future priorities including objective biomarkers, sex-specific hormonal influences, post-traumatic headache, and sensory dysfunction.

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This course is designed for licensed clinicians who regularly encounter post-concussion complexity and want a deeper mechanistic framework to contextualize what they are seeing clinically. It is particularly relevant for functional neurologists, acupuncturists, integrative practitioners, and any clinician working at the intersection of neuroendocrinology and brain health.