Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Vanderbilt University received a $394,915 Project Grant 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), effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028. The award supports research investigating and augmenting cholinergic signaling pathways to enhance neuroprosthetic performance for paralyzed patients. The project focuses on reducing learning curves associated with brain-computer interface (BCI) systems by leveraging cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain—a neural region known to enhance cortical plasticity during task learning. The research will explore how stimulation of cholinergic signaling, potentially through vagus nerve stimulation, can accelerate learning rates and improve accuracy in neuroprosthetic control, thereby decreasing recalibration requirements and improving outcomes for patients with spinal cord injuries, neurodegenerative diseases, and stroke.

The deliverables from this research effort are expected to advance fundamental understanding of cholinergic mechanisms underlying neuroprosthetic skill acquisition and to generate data supporting therapeutic interventions that could significantly reduce BCI adaptation periods for end-users. Research findings and associated data will contribute to the NINDS mission of reducing the neurological disease burden through evidence-based improvements to brain-computer interface technology and clinical applications.