Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded The Ohio State University a $315,000 Project Grant under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865) effective June 16, 2026, with completion targeted for June 15, 2028. This research project will investigate the mechanistic role of respiratory-swallow coordination (RSC) in chronic dysphagia following cortical ischemic stroke. The award supports a two-aim study designed to characterize RSC patterns in 28 adults with chronic post-stroke dysphagia and 28 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, examining associations between RSC disruption and both physiological and patient-centered swallowing outcomes through videofluoroscopic assessment.

The research deliverables will produce empirical evidence regarding how stroke-related damage to brain regions controlling respiration and swallowing contributes to persistent dysphagia—a condition affecting more than 50% of stroke survivors beyond six months post-stroke and increasing risk of aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and mortality. By establishing RSC as a mechanistic marker of swallowing dysfunction, the project aims to inform development of mechanism-based interventions for chronic post-stroke dysphagia, addressing a significant public health need affecting nearly 800,000 annual stroke cases in the United States.