Journal Retracts 2018 Valproic Acid Brain Injury Study Over Image Integrity Concerns

Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience has retracted a 2018 paper that reported valproic acid reduced inflammation after traumatic brain injury through autophagy and the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. The retraction notice, published on 28 October 2026, states that the conclusions of the original article have been deemed unreliable following an investigation into the integrity of its figures.

The retracted study, authored by Chen, Wang, Zhou, Li, Fang, Gao, Li, and Hu, appeared in the journal on 17 April 2018 under the title Valproic Acid Attenuates Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Inflammation in Vivo: Involvement of Autophagy and the Nrf2/ARE Signaling Pathway. It was published as volume 11, article 117, under the DOI 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00117.

According to the retraction notice, concerns were raised after publication regarding the integrity of the images in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6. The journal reports that the same images were used in different studies to represent different experimental conditions, and that in two instances panels appear to overlap with rotation within the same figure.

An investigation was conducted in accordance with Frontiers’ policies. The authors provided raw data and images during the process, but following an assessment of these materials, and due to the severity of the issues, the journal concluded that the article’s conclusions could not be relied upon and moved to retract it.

The retraction was approved by the Chief Editors of Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience and the Chief Executive Editor of Frontiers. The authors received a communication regarding the retraction and were given the opportunity to respond, and that communication has been recorded by the publisher.

Frontiers credited users on PubPeer, a public post-publication commentary platform, with bringing the published article to the journal’s attention. The notice was received and accepted on 23 October 2026 and published on 28 October 2026, appearing in volume 19 of the journal under the DOI 10.3389/fnmol.2026.2038844.

With the retraction, the journal no longer stands behind those findings, and readers citing the work should note its retracted status.

The notice was issued by the Frontiers Editorial Office and approved by Frontiers Media SA, Switzerland. It is published as an open-access article under the Creative Commons Attribution License, and correspondence regarding the retraction is directed to the editorial office’s research integrity contact.

Subject of Research: Retraction of a 2018 study on valproic acid, traumatic brain injury-induced inflammation, autophagy and the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway due to image integrity concerns.

Article Title: Retraction: Valproic Acid Attenuates Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Inflammation in Vivo: Involvement of Autophagy and the Nrf2/ARE Signaling Pathway

Article References: Frontiers Editorial Office (2026). Retraction: Valproic Acid Attenuates Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Inflammation in Vivo: Involvement of Autophagy and the Nrf2/ARE Signaling Pathway. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 19, Article 2038844. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2026.2038844

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2026.2038844

Keywords: retraction, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, valproic acid, traumatic brain injury, inflammation, autophagy, Nrf2/ARE signaling, image integrity, research misconduct, PubPeer, post-publication peer review, scientific publishing