How newborn shoulder/arm nerve stretches can cause spinal cord harm
Investigating Injury Tolerance and Mechanisms of Neonatal Brachial Plexus Palsy and Associated Injuries
This project looks at how nerve stretching during delivery can cause brachial plexus (shoulder/arm) injuries and related spinal cord damage in newborns using animal models, blood/CSF biomarkers, and computer simulations.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Temple Univ of the Commonwealth NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11319825 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a parent's point of view, researchers use a clinically relevant newborn piglet model to mimic delivery-related shoulder and arm nerve stretches and measure the forces and strains involved. They will check the spinal cord for immediate tissue and functional damage and look for changes in blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers that might signal injury. The team will also build computer models of the maternal pelvis and fetus to estimate which delivery situations raise the risk of nerve and spinal cord injury. Together these approaches aim to map how much stretch or force causes harm and to identify early signs doctors could use.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Infants who show shoulder or arm weakness at birth (suspected neonatal brachial plexus palsy) and families facing a history of complicated deliveries would be the most directly affected and candidates for related future studies.
Not a fit: People without childbirth-related nerve injuries or adults with unrelated neurological conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better early diagnosis, prevention strategies, and targets for early treatment of newborn brachial plexus and related spinal cord injuries.
How similar studies have performed: Prior biomechanical and animal work on birth-related brachial plexus injury is limited, and this combined piglet, biomarker, and computational modeling approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- Temple Univ of the Commonwealth — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Singh, Anita — Temple Univ of the Commonwealth
- Study coordinator: Singh, Anita
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.