This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) provides $652,497 to The General Hospital Corporation, doing business as Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), to investigate the neurological substrates of proximal upper extremity motor control and recovery after stroke. The key objectives are to: (1) determine baseline relationships between the...
This federal Project Grant award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), under CFDA Program 93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research, provides $185,713 to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (doing business as Shirley Ryan AbilityLab) to study neuromodulatory strategies targeting cortical and spinal pathways to facilitate paretic leg motor control during walking in individuals with stroke. The key objectives are...
This National Science Foundation project grant of $346,369 will fund the development of a novel gait training method for individuals after stroke from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2025. The funding supports Syracuse University under the NSF Engineering Directorate's program to improve quality of life and economic strength through engineering innovation. Specifically, the grant will advance knowledge on enhancing muscle power and propulsion, a key barrier to improved walking after stroke. The...
This Project Grant award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), under the federal Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), will provide $414,376 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study the modulation of beta oscillatory rhythms in stroke patients to promote corticomuscular circuit function. The key objectives are to determine the modulatory effects of beta-burst repetitive...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), is providing $330,000 to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (doing business as Shirley Ryan AbilityLab) to conduct research on improving locomotor function in individuals with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). The key objectives of this 2-year grant (Award ID: R03HD114768, August 1, 2024...
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded a $1,901,570 Project Grant (CFDA 93.866 - Aging Research) to Flint Rehabilitation Devices, LLC to develop the MIGO TRACKER, a wearable exercise sensor and remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) system for individuals recovering from stroke. The primary objectives are to: 1) complete MIGO TRACKER firmware development based on end-user feedback; 2) develop an online HIPAA-compliant RTM dashboard; and 3) conduct a randomized controlled trial to determine...
This $750,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program will fund the development of appropriate rehabilitation technology for stroke survivors through passive tactile stimulation. The Leland Stanford Junior University will lead an interdisciplinary team including universities, hospitals, and community organizations to finalize the team composition, generate use cases, and develop a comprehensive research plan including initial...
This $1,149,995.00 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Program (CFDA 47.070) supports research at New York University (NYU) School of Medicine to develop innovative methods in artificial intelligence (AI) and motion capture technology to analyze patient movement and improve stroke rehabilitation. The key objectives of the project are to: 1) develop a method to integrate multimodal data into a shared representation...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), provides $439,255.00 in funding to the University of Illinois to conduct a study titled "Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to Facilitate Perturbation-Based Reactive Balance Training for Fall-Risk Reduction Post-Stroke: The REACTplusNMES Trial." The study aims to improve fall prevention...
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded a $2,354,442 Cooperative Agreement under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) to the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) on September 1, 2024. The project aims to develop a system integrating vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with lower limb rehabilitation to enhance recovery of gait function in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). The project's UG3...
MINT CONDITIONING TO IMPROVE POST-STROKE GAIT - STROKE IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF LONG-TERM DISABILITY. ABOUT 60% OF STROKE SURVIVORS HAVE IMPAIRED LEG MOVEMENT, LEADING TO REDUCED WALKING SPEED AND QUALITY OF LIFE. ONE CONTRIBUTOR TO LEG IMPAIRMENT APPEARS TO BE ABNORMAL CO-ACTIVATION OF LEG MUSCLES, ESPECIALLY HIP ADDUCTORS AND KNEE EXTENSORS. THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE ABNORMAL CO-ACTIVATION (A.K.A. ABNORMAL SYNERGIES) THAT CONTRIBUTES TO IMPAIRED ARM MOVEMENT AFTER STROKE. WE HAVE DEVELOPED A MYOELECTRIC INTERFACE FOR NEUROREHABILITATION (MINT) PARADIGM TO COUNTERACT ABNORMAL CO-ACTIVATION. OUR PRIOR WORK AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS HAVE SHOWN THAT MINT CONDITIONING TO REDUCE CO- ACTIVATION CAN IMPROVE ARM MOVEMENT EVEN IN CHRONIC STROKE SURVIVORS, AND THAT AN EARLY WEARABLE VERSION HAD RELATIVELY HIGH ADHERENCE AND ENJOYMENT. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP AN INEXPENSIVE, ROBUST, WEARABLE DEVICE FOR HOME-BASED MINT CONDITIONING AND TRANSLATE IT INTO CLINICAL USE FOR IMPROVING MOVEMENT IN BOTH ARM AND LEG. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROPOSAL ARE 1) TO BUILD ROBUST, COMPLETELY WIRELESS EMG SENSORS AND MORE ENGAGING GAMES TO ENABLE USER-FRIENDLY, HOME-BASED THERAPY, 2) TO TEST MINT CONDITIONING'S ABILITY TO REDUCE LEG MUSCLE CO-ACTIVATION AND IMPROVE GAIT IN CHRONIC STROKE SURVIVORS, AND 3) TO DETERMINE THE MECHANISMS BEHIND THE RESPONSE TO MINT CONDITIONING. OUR PRELIMINARY RESULTS SHOW THAT MINT CONDITIONING CAN BE USED IN THE LEG AND CAN IMPROVE GAIT KINEMATICS AND WALKING SPEED, A KEY GOAL OF LOCOMOTOR RECOVERY. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT MINT CONDITIONING WILL IMPROVE LEG FUNCTION AND WALKING IN STROKE SURVIVORS. WE WILL ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVES VIA THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC AIMS: 1) DEVELOP A ROBUST MINT SYSTEM USING WIRELESS ELECTRODES AND MORE ENGAGING GAMES; 2) TEST THE IMPACT OF MINT CONDITIONING ON LEG MOVEMENT; AND 3) INVESTIGATE MECHANISMS OF CHANGES FROM MINT CONDITIONING. THIS PROPOSAL'S INNOVATIVE COMBINATION OF INEXPENSIVE, COMPLETELY WIRELESS, WEARABLE DEVICES AND ENGAGING, COMMERCIAL-QUALITY GAMES WILL IMPROVE ROBUSTNESS AND ENHANCE TRANSLATIONAL POTENTIAL. ACHIEVING OUR OBJECTIVES WILL BE SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT WILL ESTABLISH THAT ABNORMAL CO-ACTIVATION OF HIP ADDUCTORS AND KNEE EXTENSORS IMPAIRS GAIT. IT WILL ALSO FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENHANCED, REHABILITATIVE THERAPY TO IMPROVE FUNCTION AFTER STROKE THAT COULD BE USED WIDELY AND POTENTIALLY COULD HELP SEVERELY IMPAIRED STROKE SURVIVORS. THE ENHANCED THERAPY WILL INCREASE ENJOYMENT AND ENABLE USE IN ANY LOCATION, BOTH OF WHICH ARE CRITICAL TO INCREASING THE DOSE OF, AND ENGAGEMENT WITH, THERAPY, WHICH IN TURN INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF RECOVERY. WE EXPECT THAT MINT CONDITIONING WILL BE SYNERGISTIC WITH EXISTING THERAPIES, GIVEN ITS NOVEL MECHANISM OF ACTION (REDUCING ABNORMAL CO-ACTIVATION USING MYOELECTRIC SIGNALS). THE RESEARCH WILL ALSO PROVIDE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISM OF IMPROVEMENT DUE TO MINT CONDITIONING-SPECIFICALLY, WHERE IN THE CNS CHANGES OCCUR DUE TO REHABILITATION AFTER A STROKE. FINALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE CRITICAL RESULTS THAT WILL ENABLE US TO QUICKLY TRANSLATE THIS RESEARCH INTO PIVOTAL CLINICAL TRIALS.