Deep brain stimulation in the motor thalamus to help muscle control after stroke
Official title: Deep brain stimulation of the motor thalamus to improve cortico-spinal control of muscles after stroke
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11235829 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research uses targeted deep brain stimulation in the motor thalamus to strengthen brain-to-muscle signals for people with lasting weakness after stroke.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | December 15, 2023 |
| Project end | November 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $597,446 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS131428-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11235829 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal future candidates would be people with moderate to severe, lasting limb weakness after stroke who have not regained function with standard rehabilitation.
✕Less likely to help
People with only mild weakness, those who are not surgical candidates, or whose motor pathways are extensively destroyed by the stroke are less likely to benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will map the motor thalamus in monkeys to find the exact spots that connect to motor cortex and muscles. They will then test and optimize stimulation settings in anesthetized animals to identify patterns that boost cortical motor output. After that, the team will test those settings in awake monkeys with chronic stroke to see if movement and muscle control improve. The goal is to use these animal findings to guide future human treatments for persistent post-stroke weakness.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could restore stronger brain-to-muscle signaling and improve arm or hand movement for people with chronic motor weakness after stroke.
How similar studies have gone: Deep brain stimulation is an established treatment for movement disorders like Parkinson's and tremor, but using motor thalamus stimulation specifically for post-stroke motor recovery is experimental with promising animal data and limited human evidence.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pirondini, Elvira — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Pirondini, Elvira
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Calcium imaging guides deep brain stimulation to boost chronic stroke recovery in a rat model
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.
-
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.
-
Deep brain stimulation to help speech after stroke
A small study will test whether stimulating a brain region called the motor thalamus can help people who have trouble speaking after a stroke to speak more clearly.
-
Using deep brain stimulation to enhance muscle control after a stroke
This study is exploring how deep brain stimulation can help stroke survivors regain better muscle control by targeting specific areas in the brain, with the hope of offering a new treatment option alongside regular therapy.
-
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.
-
Stroke prevention with hydroxyurea for children with sickle cell anemia in Nigeria
A multinational, patient-facing study tests whether hydroxyurea can safely prevent first strokes in Nigerian children with sickle cell anemia.
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.