Yehuda Ben-Yishay, a psychologist whose experience working with wounded Israeli soldiers led him to make pioneering advances in treating traumatic brain injuries, died March 14 at the NYU Langone Health hospital in Manhattan. He was 88. His discoveries helped countless patients return to some semblance of the life they led before they were injured.

Before Dr. Ben-Yishay developed what he called holistic cognitive therapy in the 1970s, most scientists thought the adult brain was immutable, and that serious injuries — and the behavioral changes that resulted — were permanent.

Working at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, Dr. Ben Yishay proved that functions like attention, memory and behavior could be strengthened or compensated for in recovering patients. His program has become the gold standard for treating brain injuries, inspiring similar programs worldwide.