Calcium imaging guides deep brain stimulation to boost chronic stroke recovery in a rat model
Official title: Calcium imaging-based insights and guidance of deep brain stimulation to enhance chronic, post-stroke rehabilitation in a rodent model of ischemia
Funded at Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru · NIH-11377407 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research team is testing how customizing deep brain stimulation parameters in rats with stroke can improve long-term motor recovery, with the goal of guiding future patient treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $634,929 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS134577-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11377407 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with chronic motor deficits after ischemic stroke who may be considered for DBS-based rehabilitation in future trials.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-stroke-related brain injuries or conditions not targeted by DBS for motor recovery may not receive a direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project uses a rat model of ischemia to study how deep brain stimulation changes brain tissue around the injury and supports recovery. The researchers combine two-photon calcium imaging with controlled stroke injury to observe brain activity during rehabilitation. They aim to develop a patient-specific approach for tuning DBS settings (amplitude, frequency, duration) to maximize motor gains and translate lessons learned toward human trials. The work builds on a prior Phase I clinical trial and seeks to uncover mechanisms behind variable responses to DBS therapy. By visualizing brain changes in real time, the study hopes to identify personalized strategies that could improve outcomes for people with chronic stroke-related motor deficits.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to personalized DBS therapy for stroke patients to enhance motor recovery.
How similar studies have gone: Existing clinical work suggests DBS can aid rehabilitation, but optimal, individualized parameter tuning remains to be established.
Where this research is happening
-
Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru
Cleveland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dana, Hod Michael — Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru
- Study coordinator: Dana, Hod Michael
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Improving Deep Brain Stimulation for Stroke Recovery
This project aims to find better ways to use deep brain stimulation to help people recover movement after a stroke.
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Understanding how brain stimulation can improve recovery after stroke
This study is looking at how to make deep brain stimulation (DBS) work better for people recovering from strokes by testing it on rats, so we can find out why some people improve more than others and create personalized treatments for future patients.
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Understanding how vagus nerve stimulation helps stroke recovery to guide better treatments
This NIH grant uses computer models to figure out how brief, task-timed vagus nerve stimulation affects the brain after stroke and helps movement recovery.
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Targeting synapse turnover to boost stroke recovery
Aims to find ways to shape brain rewiring after stroke by guiding how synapses grow, with the goal of helping adults recover upper-limb function.
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Wearable EMG-FES System to Help Stroke Recovery and Find Biological Markers
A wearable sleeve that uses your own muscle signals to help arm movement after stroke, while researchers look for biological clues that track recovery.
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Noradrenergic VNS to boost stroke rehab outcomes
A patient-oriented look at a therapy that combines brief vagus nerve stimulation with physical rehab to help people recover arm movement after a stroke.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.