Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Vanderbilt University Medical Center received a $262,500 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853). The award, effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028, supports research to develop a novel predictive tool for identifying traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients with capacity to recover consciousness. The research leverages electroencephalography (EEG) to measure the injured brain's network response to propofol anesthesia, with the objective of creating a diagnostic index that discriminates between patients likely to regain consciousness versus those unlikely to recover. This diagnostic capability addresses a critical clinical need, as current prognostic uncertainty frequently results in premature withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in patients who could achieve functional recovery.

The research initiative directly supports NINDS's mission to reduce the burden of neurological disease through translational investigation into novel diagnostic approaches for neurological disorders. Preliminary findings from limited patient populations demonstrated high discrimination accuracy using high-density EEG network hub reconfiguration and directed functional connectivity analysis. Successful development and validation of this propofol-induced network reconfiguration index could prevent thousands of annual premature withdrawals of life-sustaining treatment in TBI patients, potentially saving up to 10,000 lives annually while enabling access to neurorehabilitation for those with viable recovery potential.