How rehab changes the brain after stroke
Impact of post-stroke rehabilitation on neurophysiological dynamics
This project will look at how rehabilitation training changes brain activity and connections after stroke to help people regain movement.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Kansas Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Kansas City, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11262919 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers are using a monkey model of stroke to track how brain signals and connections in movement areas change over time. They will compare animals that get intensive rehabilitation started in the sub-acute period after injury to those that do not, recording task-related motor activity and mesoscale cortico-cortical connectivity. The team will map the timing of neural changes and relate those changes to recovery of arm and hand function. The goal is to build a mechanistic picture of how rehab drives brain reorganization linked to improvement in movement.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who had a recent stroke that caused arm or hand weakness—particularly strokes affecting motor pathways like internal capsule (capsular) strokes—are the population most likely to benefit from findings.
Not a fit: People whose strokes did not affect motor pathways, who have very long-standing stable deficits, or who have other severe medical or neurological conditions may be less likely to benefit from this line of work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could inform better timing and types of rehabilitation to improve arm and hand recovery after stroke.
How similar studies have performed: Previous animal and human studies have shown post-stroke brain plasticity, but most were cross-sectional and did not clearly link rehab-driven neural changes to functional recovery, so this project aims to fill that gap.
Where this research is happening
Kansas City, United States
- University of Kansas Medical Center — Kansas City, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Guggenmos, David — University of Kansas Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Guggenmos, David
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.