Locomotor function following transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation in individuals with hemiplegic stroke

Active Project Grant Awarded Last action

Award ID
R01HD106015
Recipient
Awarding agency
Obligated
$8,417,496

Award facts

Completion date 87% complete
Originally
Funding
  • $7,680,581.00 Federal
  • $736,915.00 Non-federal
Place of performance
Chicago, IL 60611, USA

Award details come from USAspending.gov.

Description

Abstract
Approximately 70% of the more than 7.2 million U.S. Stroke survivors experience persistent gait deficits, including reduced walking speed, asymmetrical walking patterns, and reduced lower limb coordination, which limit their capacity for community ambulation. Current rehabilitation approaches are based on the assumption that stroke impairs motor cortex function while the spinal cord is preserved and thus focus on stimulating the ipsilateral or contralateral motor cortex during gait training to activate dormant or new pathways. Although animal models of stroke reveal secondary degeneration of the cervical and lumbar spinal cord, suggesting that damage to the spinal cord may effect functional recovery, little or no research has been done to elucidate spinal cord changes in humans after stroke. Our objective is to evaluate the effects of spinal stimulation combined with gait training after stroke and to investigate mechanisms underlying these effects. In preliminary work, we measured spinally evoked motor potentials (SEMPS) generated by non-invasive, transcutaneous electrical spinal stimulation in 10 stroke survivors, 10 age-matched healthy controls, and 10 young healthy subjects. Stimulation thresholds were significantly higher in stroke survivors than in controls and latency was significantly delayed in the paretic side compared to the non-paretic side, indicating secondary effects of stroke on downstream spinal circuitry and descending pathways. We also showed that spinal stimulation + symmetry-focused gait training (N=4) compared to gait training alone (N=4), significantly improved step-length symmetry, walking speed (10-meter walk test, 10MWT), and walking endurance (6-minute walk test, 6MWT); these improvements exceeded the minimal clinically important difference for chronic stroke. These results support our hypothesis that spinal stimulation may increase gait training efficacy. In aim 1, we will evaluate the short-term effects of spinal stimulation and sham stimulation, with or without symmetry-focused gait training, on gait function (primary outcome: step-length symmetry) and corticospinal circuitry in 25 stroke survivors. In aim 2, we will conduct a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the long-term effects of symmetry-focused gait training with stim or sham stimulation in stroke survivors (N=25 per group). The primary outcome will be step-length symmetry; secondary outcomes include temporal gait symmetry, speed (10MWT), muscle activation (ELECTROMYOGRAPHY), walking endurance (6MWT), energy expenditure (cosmed K4B2), upper and lower limb function (fugl-meyer assessment), health status (stroke impact scale-16), and community activity (wearable sensors, actigraph LLC). We will also investigate mechanisms underlying the effects of spinal stimulation by examining SEMPS elicited in lower limb muscles by cortical/subcortical stimulation of corticospinal axons and intracortical inhibition. This work will (I) identify short- and long-term effects of spinal stimulation, (II) validate spinal stimulation as a non-invasive method to restore gait in chronic stroke, (III) identify clinical measures that may determine response to spinal stimulation, and (IV) identify underlying neuromodulatory mechanisms, which may provide additional treatment options.

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Subawards

Subrecipient Amount Awarded
Rancho Research Institute He will guide the team on spinal stimulation as one of the premier experts in the field. He will visit SRAlab to observe and consult on procedures during Aim… $230,000
Rancho Research Institute He will guide the team on spinal stimulation as one of the premier experts in the field. He will visit SRAlab to observe and consult on procedures during Aim… $46,000
Rancho Research Institute $184,000
Northwestern University Dr. Chen Yang, Doctoral graduate of McGill University, will come to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Northwestern University as a Visiting Post-Doctoral… $222,041
Rancho Research Institute Dr. Edgerton will guide the team on spinal stimulation as one of the premier experts in the field. He will visit SRAlab to observe and consult on procedures… $138,000
Northwestern University Dr. Chen Yang, Doctoral graduate of McGill University, will come to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Northwestern University as a Visiting Post-Doctoral… $153,603

Quick answers

Who received award R01HD106015?

R01HD106015 was awarded to Rehabilitation Institute Of Chicago by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institutes of Health) on August 12, 2021.

How much is award R01HD106015 worth?

$8,417,496 has been obligated on R01HD106015: $7,680,581 in federal funding and $736,915 in non-federal funding.

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