Traumatic brain injury（ TBI） is the most common disease in neurosurgery， characterized by high rates of disability and mortality. Secondary brain injury after TBI is an important cause of patient prognosis. The nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2（ Nrf2） is an important anti-oxidative stress transcription factor involved in the pathophysiological regulation of neurological disorders. A number of scholars have found that activation of Nrf2 can affect pathophysiological processes such as oxidative stress， cellular autophagy， apoptosis， and neuroinflammation after TBI， further demonstrating that Nrf2 can regulate the prognosis of TBI. This article provides a brief overview of the pathophysiology after TBI as well as a summary of the potential protective role of Nrf2 in TBI， providing new directions for the treatment of TBI.