Helping people recover after stroke by boosting brain cell energy
Enhanced Mitochondrial Function Increases Effectiveness of Post-Stroke Rehabilitation
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · SOUTHERN ARIZONA VA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM · NIH-11206889
The team is seeing if a drug that clears harmful fat debris and restores cell energy can limit brain damage and improve movement recovery after stroke.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | SOUTHERN ARIZONA VA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (TUCSON, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11206889 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you had a stroke, this research is testing a medicine called HPβCD that helps immune cells clean up myelin-derived fat debris and restore their mitochondria (the cell's power plants). In mice, researchers give the drug after stroke and combine it with motor rehabilitation to see whether it reduces tissue loss and speeds recovery of movement and memory. They track brain tissue, inflammation, mitochondrial health in immune cells, and behavior to measure benefit. The work is currently done in an animal model at the Southern Arizona VA with the goal of informing future treatments for people who have had strokes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for eventual human testing would be people who recently had an ischemic stroke and are undergoing motor rehabilitation for arm or leg weakness.
Not a fit: People with non-ischemic (e.g., hemorrhagic) strokes or whose injury is many years old may be less likely to benefit from this specific approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce long-term brain damage after stroke and make rehabilitative therapy more effective for regaining movement and memory.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical studies in mice from the same group have shown promising results, but this specific treatment approach has not yet been tested in people.
Where this research is happening
TUCSON, UNITED STATES
- SOUTHERN ARIZONA VA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM — TUCSON, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: SCHNELLMANN, RICK G — SOUTHERN ARIZONA VA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
- Study coordinator: SCHNELLMANN, RICK G
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 below.
Conditions: Acquired brain injury