Dr. Shai Efrati is a professor at the School of Medicine and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University. He also serves as the director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir (Assaf-Harofeh) Medical Center in Israel. Under Prof. Efrati’s leadership, the center has grown to become the largest hyperbaric center worldwide, currently treating over 300 patients per day.
Dr. Efrati’s expertise extends to internal medicine, nephrology, hyperbaric and diving medicine and he holds the position of Director of Research & Development at the Shamir Medical Center, affiliated with Tel-Aviv University. Driven by his passion for physiology and thermodynamics, particularly in understanding the physiological barriers that hinder organ function, he initiated a research program focusing on neuroplasticity—the regeneration of damaged brain tissue. This research aims to treat the brain as a tissue, identifying and characterizing non-healing brain wounds and the bottlenecks that impede recovery.
Among the various potential interventions studied for inducing neuroplasticity, the most promising approach involves the use of dedicated Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) protocols. This newly developed HBOT protocol stimulates brain and tissue repair by generating fluctuations in oxygen and pressure, initiating a regenerative biological cascade akin to hypoxia under hyperoxic conditions—a phenomenon known as the Hyperoxic-Hypoxic Paradox (HHP). Clinical studies and ongoing research have demonstrated that HHP can induce neuroplasticity in various types of brain injuries, including stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, post-COVID syndrome, age-related cognitive decline, central pain syndromes such as Fibromyalgia syndrome, and in patients suffering from long-term treatment-resistant PTSD.
In addition to the so-called classical disease/injuries, Dr. Efrati is heading one of the most comprehensive research program on the so called “Normal Ageing”. Using the unique protocols of HHP it was demonstrated that neurogenesis, angiogenesis, improve cognitive functions, improve physical and sexual performance as well as elongating telomers and elimination of senescent cells can be achieved in the so called “normal ageing” population.
